Slow and Steady Wins the Race
by Magirus
Summary: "I had to race twenty-four freaking hours to get you out of it and all you can do is shrug?" She asked playfully," I could've spent that money upgrading my car, but no, it all went to paying off your debt you dirty money launderer."
1. Chapter 1

It was deafening in the parking lot. To anyone not in the drifting scene, it would seem like chaotic mayhem with the booming music, the crowded parking spaces filled with people putting the finishing touches on their cars, bumping into others with the limited amount of room, the girls dressed in skimpy clothes mostly there for winning incentives. Not to the drifters. To them, it was an organized mess that they were routinely used to. Especially if you were the DK or affiliated with him. He got his own space and people stayed away with good reason. Sean Boswell leant against his Silvia S15 with his arms crossed lazily in front of him at the starting line. A few meters to his left, a muscled Asian man popped biscuits into his mouth, looking equally bored.

"Well Sean, looks like no one wants to race for pinks tonight," Han pointed out, leaning against the hood of his Veilside.

"Good riddance, we've got so many cheap cars at the garage anyways," the young man recalled, but Han watched his face fall at the thought of not racing tonight. He had grown close to Sean over the past months reveling at the talent he helped produce. He had half a mind to offer to race him himself when an exotic woman sidled up to Sean.

"Not much point in staying, Sean," she said in a fluid Australian accent.

"Yeah," he agreed, but his eyes flickered around the garage anyways, he turned back to her," I could think of better things to do," his lips caught hers in a second and Han looked away, shaking his head with a smile. Neela had proved to be a good role model for Sean being a pro drifter herself. Han recalled how much his protégé admired the girl for being a female drifter. A commotion drew his shrewd eyes to the entrance of the garage.

"Yo Han, man we've got a contender," Twinkie ran towards him excitedly pointing towards the entrance," I dunno who it was, but man is the car a hot piece of metallic ass. It'd go nicely with our collection."

Han eyed a sleek Aston Martin Carbon Black rolling smoothly towards them with tinted windows.

"Must be new around here," he raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"No Newbie can survive against our DK," Twinkie laughed," you think we should give a heads up?"

The sports car rolled to a stop inches away from the Silvia.

"Nah Twink, let's see what they've got," Han couldn't help but admire the car. You didn't see designs like this in Japan.

"Yo lover boy," he called to Sean who was still in a deep embrace with Neela," you better win this one." He wanted the opportunity to closely examine the car. Sean broke away and scoffed," when have I ever lost?"

The car revved her engine impatiently and both Han and Sean grinned. Neela went to stand in the break between the cars. People were gathering around excitedly wondering who was going to lose their car to the DK next. Han stood up to get a better look. He cursed the cramped garage with its many obstacles. Not a lot of drift techniques could be used in here, they had to stick to the basics to refrain from flipping their cars. He wanted to see just how pro this newbie who was racing the Drift King was.

The driver in the Carbon Black was grinning when Neela waved the Go sign, both cars shot off. A sharp right turn was coming up and the Silvia had the advantage being in the inside lane. To an inexperienced drifter, this would prove to be a setback, but Carbon Black was hardly an inexperience driver.

Han did a double take as he watched the Carbon Black driver perfect an inertia turn. He shook his head. It should have been impossible for that car to squeeze in between the Silvia and wall. The space was too small. Only fast hand movements and exceptional control of a car could enable the driver to do that. Han frowned as he walked calmly towards the elevators. People all around him were in shock. There had been only one person Han knew who would be reckless enough to pull a fast one like that. He smiled slightly to himself as the elevator rode to the roof.

Meanwhile, the two cars were on par with each other. Sean was getting antsy. Every slick move he pulled, the Carbon would counter with a move of its own. Not only did the driver have impeccable control over their car, but they were also getting dangerously close to the Silvia. Sean couldn't understand how they could be centimeters from his car and not crash into it at the intense speeds they were going at. He was starting to get intimidated when another turn came and the Carbon got slightly ahead of him still centimeters away. Sean used his hand brake which he knew was risky because it could cause insane damage to his car. Just as he thought, he lost partial control and the car swerved ahead about to crash into the other racer, he braced himself for the impact. To his immense surprise, the Carbon smoothly avoided the collision. This time, he tried again, purposely swerving his car into his competition. He was once again met with a perfect dodge. The Carbon was millimeters away from the cement wall, but still going speedily. It was the last level before the roof and Sean knew he had to end it. Deliberately, he swerved his car to the left, with every intent of smashing the Carbon into the wall. The driver, seeming to sense what he wanted to do suddenly brought their car to a screeching halt. A surprised Sean collided with the wall, his car making an unpleasant sound as it rubbed against the cement. He immediately came to a stop looking back with wide eyes. The Carbon deftly pulled back into the lane and whizzed past him. It was over. He knew it. The ramp was just up ahead, there was no way he could catch up. Shaking his head he grinned slightly despite his shame.

Up on the roof everyone could hear the screeching sounds and waited in anticipation expecting the Silvia to appear before them. Han knew better. His face was a mask of indifference as the Carbon performed a 360 turn and halted a few meters away from the crowd. Nobody knew how to react. When the Silvia screeched up the ramp and stopped a little ways behind the car everyone was in awe. Murmurs started to erupt everywhere as they waited in anticipation for the driver to reveal their identity. Han shook his head. There really was only one driver he knew who would feed off the anticipation. He walked forward to stand in front of the hood.

"You might as well come out now," he said, bluntly. He thought he heard a loud chuckle coming from the car. The driver's scissor door rose upward on a hinge. The crowd got louder as they examined the high-performance luxury vehicle. Han could see the black Cat boots step assuredly onto the cement. Then the entire person rose out gracefully shaking long blonde locks from a black beanie and running a fingerless-gloved hand through them. The crowd erupted. It was a woman. A teenager to be exact.

"Always ruining my fun," She pouted at Han. The crowd went wild as Han walked over to the girl and kissed her forehead softly.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too, old man," she shook him off.

The crowd went silent as they watched their DK get out of the car and walk over to the pair. He tossed the girl his keys.

"You won it," he stated with a grin.

She smirked and tossed them back," nah dude, I don't need your car. It was just for fun, yeah?"

"Sean, this is Elliot James, ElJay, this is Sean Boswell," Han waved a lazy hand in introduction.

"How do you two know each other?" Sean inquired.

ElJay turned to Han," you still have your garage in the same place?" Han nodded.

"Let's meet there. I've gotta proposition for you," She was already jumping into her car, the doors closing smoothly. They watched as she expertly maneuvered between the people and sped back down the ramp.

"What's her story, Han?" Sean asked, as they walked off to their separate cars.

"She used to be my student," Han said," I'll meet you at the garage."

As Han walked to his car he remembered the first conversation he ever shared with ElJay.

_It was dark outside. He had just stepped out of a convenient store with a bag full of snacks when something smacked into his foot. He looked at the small remote controlled car. A young girl skidded around the corner, breathing heavily. She was white with blonde hair and faded denim eyes, but when she walked up to him, she bowed deeply," I'm sorry. I'm still new to the drifting thing."When she looked up with a grin, Han observed the scar running from her right eyebrow all the way to the corner of her eye just missing the eyeball. He noticed the bandages wrapped around various parts of her body. She looked to be only nine years old. _

"_Drifting?" he leant against his Mazda RX-7. Her eyes widened when she noticed the car, but she kept her emotions in check as she answered him," yeah, I'm gunna be a drifter when I grow up."_

_Han smiled slightly when she leant slowly against his car, crossing her arms over her chest in an act of coolness._

"_You like cars, kid?" _

_She nodded exuberantly," the hospital thinks it's crazy that I got to be so obsessed with cars after the accident and all." She ran a small hand over the decals on the side. _

"_You been in an accident?" _

_She nodded again," my relatives weren't very nice people so when the accident happened and they died, I think I was very grateful to the car for helping me get away from them," her voice was so innocent and naïve, Han had to chuckle quietly. The girl didn't seem to notice. _

"_Where you living now, kid?" _

_Her voice was distracted as she thoroughly examined his car," in an old garage. The owner lets me stay there because he admires my interest in cars. I help him get customers. We sometimes work on the cars together. Kind of like a family." _

_Something inside of Han jolted. He looked at the tattered clothes the girl wore and her grease covered face and stringy hair. She looked thin and frail, but even Han could see her eyes glittering as she spoke about cars. _

"_How old are you?"_

"_I'm eleven. How old are you?" _

"_Seventeen," he answered, thinking how short this girl was. _

"_My name is Elliot, Elliot James," her attention turned back to him as she held out her hand. _

"_Han," he shook her hand. _

"_You wanna see something cool?" She didn't wait for his answer as the car from hit foot rolled away with a simple button on her remote," I'm not very good at this yet." She did a series of fast movements on her remote and the car sped in a screeching drift leaving black marks on the ground. _

"_You wanna see the real thing, kid?" Han watched as her expression turned into glee. She nodded her head slowly, eyes wide as saucers. _

"_Get in," he wondered if this kid was taught to never talk to strangers let alone get in a car with one. He watched her walk around to the passenger seat with her small car in hand and delicately open the door. He had thought she would be frightened as the car turned sharply on the roads, but her eyes were raptly paying attention to his hand movements, darting from him to the road. He tossed her a small bag of chips. _

_Her eyes snapped from the road and she stared at the bag in awe," can I really eat this?" _

"_Just don't get crumbs on my seat." He stared at her strangely as she slowly opened the bag and pulled out a chip, as if she had never seen one before. _

"_This is my first time eating something like this," she told him, putting it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully as if savoring the taste. He watched as she offered him back the bag._

"_You don't like it?" he asked. _

"_I'm leaving the rest for you. I was always told to take only one of everything to not appear rude." _

_Han snorted," well I'm letting you eat the whole bag, ElJay."_

_She leaned contently in the seat," I think this is the best day I've ever had. I get to eat crunchy chips. I get my very own nickname. And I get to drift." _

_Han laughed quietly, wondering what kind of life this kid led to make something this simple the best day of her life. _

Han saw the Carbon in front of his garage. She had come to live with him after that with the incentive of helping him fix cars. He was surprised at how much she knew. He had grown fond of the kid. He would sit her onto his lap in the mountains and they would drift together. She loved every minute of it. When she turned thirteen, she wanted to go on her own. Han remembered even as a beginner, her perfect control of the car.

"_It's because I owe cars my life. Not crashing them is the least I can do when they saved me from hell." _

She had never told him what happened to her. She refused to go to school, spending her days practicing in the mountains. She had left him when she was fourteen, a wanderer at heart. She wanted to search for the perfect car for her. She promised she'd be back when she found it. Han looked at the Carbon and agreed that it suited her well. He pressed an automatic button in his car and the garage doors rolled upward.

ElJay jolted from her reverie. She was thinking about how much Han had matured over the past two years. It unnerved her that he became so good-looking. She began to notice her feelings for him as soon as she left. She missed being away from him. When he kissed her forehead earlier that night she pulled away because her heart started beating furiously and she swore he could hear it and discover her feelings. She had built the perfect car for herself and wanted Han to applaud her efforts for doing what she had sought out to do. There was just one thing missing to perfect the car and that's why she came back to him. She rolled her car into the garage and watched Han do the same with his.

"So tell me exactly how you got this car across the border?" Han watched her examine her car for scratches.

"Its ace having the Yakuza as buddies, my friend," she grinned kneeling to examine the tires," a few wins on the Chinese circuit and I had them eating out of my hand. They hooked me up with a fake ID and the shizz." She reached inside her leather jacket and produced an ID card," I'm eighteen according to this," she grinned, cheekily. ElJay noticed the rippling of biceps as Han reached into his car to close the garage door.

"Heard you got into trouble with them," she cleared her throat, turning back to her car.

Han shrugged.

"I had to race twenty-four freaking hours to get you out of it and all you can do is shrug?" She asked playfully," I could've spent that money upgrading my car, but no, it all went to paying off your debt you dirty money launderer."

Han was intrigued," so you saved my life then?"

ElJay snorted," Chyeah man, watcha think, the Yaks had a change of heart and decided to keep you alive because of your scintillating conversation skills? It was all me, bro."

"So I assume you came back here to claim your due?"

"That's right," she drawled," but I wanna do this fair and square."

Han stepped away from his car and headed towards the stairs going to the second level. If she was going to negotiate then Han wanted to be comfortable. He saw Sean, Neela, and Twink arrive through the club door and gestured for them to follow. He smiled charmingly at the women who were seated on the couches with the rest of his workers. He tossed ElJay a bag of chips which she caught with one hand and sat in between two women who languidly pressed themselves to his chest. He knew her free-spirit well, sometimes even felt intimidated by it. This way he could show her that he was still the boss and usurpation would not be a choice.

ElJay stared dejectedly at the women all around Han. She had grown used to it when she was younger, but now that she had feelings for him, it was disconcerting. She observed the skimpy dressed models and examined her own outfit. Baggy jeans, grey hoodie and a leather jacket. It showed no skin, but ElJay hated wearing anything revealing. It made her feel as if she was some prize to be gawked at. Plus, the numerous scars from the car accident were something she hid to save herself of the painful reminders. Her right eye would sometimes begin to water uncontrollably, an effect of the scar that almost went through her eye. She popped a chip in her mouth.

"I want to race you," she said simply. There was a tense silence from everyone. Han looked unfazed. Sean and Twinkie exchanged incredulous looks. Han didn't race against anyone. No matter how much money they offered him.

"If I win, you let me stay here for free… and get me a 625i engine," ElJay crunched calmly as collective gasps sounded. The 625i was the most expensive engine in the world. With an impressive 502 hp. It was a newly developed IRIS engine design that was smaller, lighter, and significantly more efficient. It was also considered a secret to the car world, but ElJay knew that it was in the process of being perfected. She wanted that engine. She would allow her car to have only the best of the best. Han smiled as he looked up at the determined girl. She would be an asset to the team.

"If you win…" she trailed off hesitantly.

"If I win, I let you stay here, but you work for me. Plus, you go to school," Han spoke up, watching her reaction carefully. He knew Eljay hated being tied down by any sort of boss. She raced only for herself. She would throw a fit if anyone told her what to do. School was just an added bonus. This girl claimed to hate that institution and no one said that Han was a saint. He watched her squirm uncomfortably, trying to find a loophole.

ElJay knew that her hesitation meant she doubted her victory, Han knew it too from the amused smirk on his face.

"Fuck!" She swore, throwing the chips at him," I accept."

"Shake hands with the devil," Han offered his hand. Eljay slapped it with her own, seething.

"Are you for real?" Twinkie burst out," you actually gunna race her, Han?"

Han rose from his seat and walked over to the fuming girl.

"Think about it carefully, Jay," he put his hands on her shoulders. ElJay almost gasped at the heat emanating from them.

"Do you understand what you're getting yourself into? Doesn't matter if you're sick or asleep, I call you and you come to me with a smile. I want you to race, and you win me another useless car to add to the collection. I tell you to do something and you comply willingly. Also, if I win, your car is mine. Don't worry, I'm not cruel enough to take it apart, I want to examine the masterpiece you created in two years." Han watched her eyes narrow to tiny slits.

She wrenched away from him," you make it sound like I'll lose."

"Fine, tomorrow night at the mountains." He brushed a strand of soft hair from her face. Her cheek tingled from where his finger brushed it. She slapped his hand away.

"Let's settle this right now. You know I hate waiting. Gimme ten minutes to change my tires."

Han stared into her denim eyes which darkened with anger," Twinkie, get ElJay a new set."

The Carbon Black sleeked through the night soundlessly purring. ElJay knew Han underestimated her so when she managed to get ahead of him on the last turn she smirked in triumph. In his own Veilside, Han applauded her technique. She was using the Kansei drift on all the corners which he knew was risky for a driver with her experience, but she pulled it off flawlessly and it gave her some leeway because she wasn't using her brake. Han wasn't worried. He taught her everything he knew and her style was evident to him despite the tweaks in technique. Sean had told him how expertly she dodged his swerves and he decided to sneak one on her. No luck, almost as if she knew, her car angled away from his. He nodded impressed. She was a reckless driver, but she moved one with the car. As if it was a part of her.

ElJay changed gears, braked hard, and yanked the steering wheel to the right in an early turn before lifting her foot off the gas pedal and slamming it down a few seconds later. She was shocked when the traction delayed. She swore as Han took this advantage to get ahead. She cursed herself for not stepping on the gas faster. She was usually an expert at the timing, but her mind was off par today.

Han noticed the momentary delay and frowned. He had never once seen her make a mistake like timing the traction. ElJay tried to focus on the race reminding herself of the 625i. She knew Han would get it for her. He had the connections. Her mind was on other things though. She had told the Yaks she would be at the Shanghai races happening in two weeks. They didn't make a deal, but ElJay knew that a lot of money was implied if she won. She knew that some racers had already acquired the 625i. If she was going to win, she needed to do some major upgrading in two weeks. She couldn't lose today. School would just be a waste of time and she knew Han would never let her go to China. If she worked for him, she knew he owned her. The finish was just at the end of this corner. ElJay made an early turn changing gears. She smirked despite herself. Her grin died away when the Veilside whizzed past her. Her jaw dropped. She immediately floored the pedal, but it was too late. Sean and Twinkie grinned from the finish line. It was one of the more intense races they had ever seen.

"What the fuck was that?" Eljay exclaimed, getting out of the car once she reached the end.

"NOS," Han smirked at her.

"You didn't tell me you had NOS," she whined," you played dirty."

"I don't recall racing being a clean sport," he quipped.

"Bull," she crossed her arm across her chest and glared defiantly at the ground.

"Sorry Jay, you got pawned." Han leant against his car, opening a sprite and taking a long sip.

In her rage, she flung herself back into her Carbon and slammed the door.

"Go eff yourself," she flipped him off and raced away.

Han lazily took another sip, completely unfazed.

"What's up with that, Han? You gunna go afta her?" Twinkie asked.

He shook his head," she'll be back."


	2. Chapter 2

Han heard the screeching of tires before he saw the Carbon. He smirked knowingly at Sean. ElJay pulled out a duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Where's my crib?" She asked.

"It's your old room," he didn't look at her, his attention fixated on the open hood of a Supra. She didn't need to be told twice. She took the side stairs which led to Han's apartment. When she had first come to live with him, he had given her the room across from his. It was sparsely furnished with a twin bed, a closet, and a desk, but she had hung up anime posters and added a few personal touches of her own. When she opened the door, she found the room exactly as she had left it. She spent the night packing up her stuff at the dingy motel she was staying at. She contacted an old garage she was affiliated with and told the boss she would be working on her car in the afternoons. ElJay still couldn't believe she was going to school; the uniform hanging neatly in the closet didn't help her mood.

"What the hell is this?" She called from the stairway, shaking the uniform at Han.

"I took the liberty of picking it up for you," he flipped a screwdriver in his hand and disappeared behind the hood. ElJay looked disgustedly at the articles of clothing. It was a grey and white, surprisingly short plaid skirt with a crisp white dress shirt and a creamy sweater vest. ElJay didn't like the length of the skirt at all.

"You better hurry up. Don't wanna be late on your first day," he called from underneath the hood. She scoffed at him before slamming the door. Back in her room she angrily pulled on the uniform. It didn't look completely horrid. She frowned at the skirt that dangerously looked like it was going to expose her thighs. She pulled out a pair of black leggings that had a looming white skull running down the side of one leg. Perfect. She looked amusedly at the Domo backpack that was lying on the chair. Domo used to be her favorite and as she examined the fluffy bag she realized that he still was. She hugged it to her hearing the crinkle of papers.

"You redeemed yourself," she brushed past him on the way to her car.

"I've already put in the address on your GPS for you. The school will tell me if you dun show up," he casually added. ElJay cursed silently. She had wanted to rebel and skip school altogether. She slammed the door a little too harshly. Han exchanged a knowing look with Sean.

"Have a good day," he called out as she backed her Carbon outside. ElJay followed the directions expecting to see a sketchy brick building. What she saw was entirely different. It was a glass building, 3 stories high. It took up quite a bit of property because there were huge dome-like buildings adjoined to the school. ElJay wondered what they were. It looked pretty high-tech to her. She noticed that there were racecars parked in the parking spaces and grinned. They were cool, but her Carbon beat everyone's. She noticed the eyes of every guy around turn glassy at the sight of her car. Even the girls looked impressed. She noticed that the ratio to Japanese and other races were almost the same. She read the name of the school and understood. Tokyo International Technical School. Sweet. ElJay shook her blonde hair around her face and stepped out of the car. She kept her eyes glued on the front door her Cat boots casually flapping against the pavement. She refused to wear the brown loafers. Her hand reached out to open the glass door, but someone beat her to it. ElJay turned to glare at the person. He had deep brown eyes. His bangs were long enough to cover his eyes, but he swept them back with gel to avoid obscuring his vision. He had semi-long sideburns. It looked clean cut enough to be acceptable in most settings while looking messy enough to show off his individuality. She had to give him credit for that. His black tie was not done up and hung loosely around the collar of his neatly pressed shirt. He was casually holding a black leather briefcase over his shoulder.

"After you," he grinned impishly. ElJay pinned him with a look that said "I don't think so." She knew perfectly well what was on the mind of teenage boys when they appeared to be chivalrous and opened a door for a girl.

"No I'm fine. Why don't I get the door so I can check out your butt as you walk away? Let's see how you feel." She stuck her foot in front of the door and gestured for him to go in.

To her amusement he pouted," aw, was I really that obvious?"

She tapped her foot impatiently," was there something you needed?" Not waiting for an answer, "no? Good." She walked through the door. Her exit was going so confidently well until she realized she had no clue where the office was. She scratched her head confusedly at the numerous hallways.

"Want some help?" the guy asked with a grin, coming to stand beside her. She ignored him trying to logically figure out where the office would be in a school.

"I am class rep you know, so I _can _show you," he said in a sing-song voice.

"Listen you," ElJay whirled around," I am not here by choice. I don't want to be robbed of my originality with all you conformed freaks. There's a big world out there. Bigger than prom, bigger than high school, and it won't matter if you were the prom queen or the quarterback of the football team or the biggest nerd. The world out there is full of problems beyond algebra and geometry. I am not a people person, so either shut the fuck up or get your smirking mug out of my face."

"Ms. James?" a voice suddenly called interrupting her diatribe. A small woman was walking towards them with a binder in hand. She looked to be a mix of Asian and European. Her English was accented lightly by a Japanese one.

"That's me," ElJay managed a short smile.

"I am Mrs. Kato, the vice-principle. I see you've met Mr. Kobayashi," her eyes flickered to the boy beside her," he's your homeroom representative so he can show you around."

"Fabulous," ElJay drawled sarcastically.

"I have your class schedule. I spoke with your father this morning and he told me the courses you would be interested in," she produced a piece of paper from her binder.

ElJay realized she was talking about Han and started shaking her head profusely," no way in hell is that son-of-a-bitch my father." If only she knew the dream she had of him last night. There was nothing father-like about it. ElJay grimaced as the thought of incest filtered into her mind. Beside her, Kobayashi burst out laughing. She looked at him curiously. He reminded her of someone when he laughed, ElJay couldn't put a finger to it.

"Right then, if Hiroki is being a pain, my office is open anytime," she patted her shoulder lightly and was on her way. ElJay thought for sure she was going to say something about her abuse of uniform protocol.

"Guess you're sorta stuck with me," Hiroki nudged her shoulder with his. ElJay was about to retort when a short Japanese girl stormed her way towards them and grabbed his collar. Her hair was in two tight pigtails that curled prettily at the end.

"Well Hiro?" She ground out between clenched teeth," who was it?" ElJay observed that the girl was only up to his chest.

"Haruka-chan, you're so cute when you're mad," he gushed, which made ElJay smile.

"Who was the girl I saw you kissing last night?" She tightened her grip on his collar and brought his face until they were touching noses.

"Now around what time are you talking about, Haruka-chan?" Hiro grew thoughtful. Haruka let out a frustrated scream and pushed him away.

"I can't even look at you!" She stormed away.

"Love you too," he called after her.

He turned back to ElJay who had her eyebrows raised," you sleep around then?"

"Only on Monday nights and Tuesday mornings," he shrugged cheekily," big fan of morning sex." He winked at her. ElJay had to laugh.

"I'm Elliot James," she stated.

"Well then high ten, Elliot James." He raised both of his palms towards her.

"Dude, that's lame," she gave him a sarcastic sneer and looked at her schedule.

"We've got the boring classes in the morning," Hiro explained," it's the afternoon that spices things up," Hiro explained, peering over her shoulder.

"Oh snap," he said surprised, snatching the paper from her hands.

"What?" ElJay wanted to know.

"Jay, I didn't know you were in the Automotive program," he looked up at her impressed.

"What the hell is that?" she snatched it back from him. She looked at her afternoon schedule and her heart gave an excited leap. Transportation Technology. Mechanical Engineering. Manufacturing Design.

"Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised with that sweet ride you roll in," Hiro commented.

"So…cars?" ElJay sputtered.

"You betcha. We make em, repair em, fix em, the shizz. It's a technical school. We've got the regular math, science, English in the morning, but after lunch, the class branches off to their specified programs. There's computer tech, then advanced math and science, carpentry, electrical, all kinds of technical shit, even cooking, which is great for us because the kitchens are by our dome garages so the girls usually bring us their food to try. We kinda rival against each other, but Automotive dominates the school, we've got the dome buildings outside. Plus, we've got mentors coming in from the elite garages and working with each of us. It's really hard stuff so don't be surprised if you get made fun of by the guys, they're pretty sexist," he shrugged.

ElJay grinned at him not finding it in her heart to tell him that she could probably beat all the guys combined with her knowledge of cars.

"See me tremble in fear," she simply quipped sarcastically. Her phone buzzed.

ElJay checked the caller display before flipping it over and listening.

"Yo, Jay, Tanaka-sama wants us to deliver some goods to Shinjuku. You in?" the slightly raspy voice sounded on the end.

"In the friggin daylight?" ElJay asked in surprise, looking outside.

"Ya, it's a bitch, but it'll be a hell of challenge with the traffic and cops."

"Dude, I gots school," ElJay didn't want Han knowing that she still had connections with the Yaks.

"2000 bucks, Jay, for each of us. It won't take long. We just need you's as a diversion today. I only ask cuz you're the best at evading the fucking cops."

"Aight man, see you in five then."

"Tokyo Metropolitan building," the dial clicked.

"Dude, when's this thing start?" ElJay gestured around the school.

He was looking at her curiously," twenty minutes." ElJay was already walking out the front door.

"Where ya goin, Jay?" Hiro asked, falling into step beside her.

"I left something at home," she told him sweetly. She swung the door open to her Carbon.

"I'll be back thirty seconds before homeroom," she predicted, before shutting the door. The Carbon revved before deftly pulling out of the space and expertly evading the oncoming cars and students. Hiro looked at the speeding car amusedly. He could see why his uncle instructed him to keep an eye on her. He took out his own phone and pressed one on speed dial.

"Uncle," he spoke after the second ring," the eagle has departed."

A laugh sounded on the other line," completely unsurprising."

ElJay strolled into class precisely thirty seconds before the bell rang. Her wallet was bursting with cash and she was pleased with how quickly she managed to evade the cops. She had made impressive timing. She had met up with the Yaks at the Metropolitan and proceeded to weave in and out of the slow-moving traffic with rehearsed expertise. She had done it so many times it was almost boring. The cops finally got wind of the speeding racers and she stalled them long enough for the three cars filled with drugs to make the exit to Shinjuku. A few fancy twists and turns and she was gliding through a wide alleyway completely unscathed while the police cars were badly bruised from crashing into one another. She met up with another Yak who gave her the money and she managed to get to school two minutes early. One minute was spent examining her car and the last thirty were for finding the class. She observed the young teacher standing at the front of the class. She didn't know that teachers could be so hot. His hair was black, messy enough to look devil-may-care, but with clean layers styled to look sophisticated. He glanced up at her and smiled. ElJay tried to look unsurprised at his eyes. They were dark, caught between a shade of violet and blue.

"Class, this is Elliot James," he announced. ElJay nodded her head approvingly at his smooth voice. ElJay looked at the class and waved two fingers," Sup."

"Elliot, I am Mr. Arai, you can take the seat beside Ms. Kojima," he gestured to the seat beside the windows where a pretty mixed girl waved her hand. ElJay slumped casually into the seat and smirked at Hiro who gave her an impressed nod as the bell rang. Math was the first subject taught by Mr. Arai. ElJay was completely lost. She only knew the basic stuff when it came to math. Functions were a whole new territory. She watched his lips move with a slight smirk on her face. She wondered what the policy was for teacher-student relationships.

"Ms. James?" She didn't realize that he had asked her a question.

ElJay leant her head back in her seat and yawned" I honestly have no fucking idea, sir." She added for good measure. The class sniggered and ElJay heard the brief dumb blonde comment fill the air. She shut her eyes casually. It didn't bother her. She had nothing to be shameful of.

"The answer is x-3, Mr. Arai," a voice spoke up sternly. ElJay opened one eye and peered at the girl beside her. The whole class had instantly quieted down.

"Thank you, Rin," Mr. Arai smiled warmly at her.

"Nice," ElJay nodded appreciatively at the power she seemed to hold with a simple intonation of voice. Rin gave her an apologetic smile. The first class was over quickly. A new teacher entered the room. Science.

"Dude, are all the teachers hot in this school?" She whispered over to Rin who laughed lightly," Pretty much. Wait until you see the English teacher. He was born in England and his accent is so yummy."

"Today we're going to be studying the anatomy," Mr. Matthews was passing out handouts. ElJay was so surprised when a handout of the naked male and female human body was placed in front of her.

"Aw, and I wanted to be surprised when I first saw one!" ElJay complained pointing to the male genitalia which made Rin burst out laughing.

"Hey sir, I've got an anatomy joke for you," Hiro called from the far side of the room," Which muscle will freshen your breath? The altoids." He burst into laughter. ElJay snorted.

"I have a gag for you as well, Mr. Kobayshi. What is your joke not? Humerus," he deadpanned. The class burst out into hoots of laughter.

"Pawned!" ElJay shouted, grinning. It was a work period and ElJay was asleep in seconds until Rin shook her awake for the next class.

"Blimey, that is a fit bloke," she commented in a British accent when she saw Mr. Wright.

"All the girls totally agree," Rin whispered. ElJay grinned. She still liked Mr. Arai the most though. Maybe because he reminded her of Han. She groaned internally and laid her head back onto the desk. She had already admitted to herself that she had a teensy crush on him. It was bound to go away soon, she hoped.

"Rin, we're going to the kitchens to taste test the baked Alaska before the food committee arrives tomorrow," a group of girls waited expectantly by the door. ElJay assumed that Rin was part of the cooking program.

"That's right," Rin stood up," you want to come with, Elliot?" ElJay observed the look of disgust on the girls faces.

"Nah, it's ok. I'd prolly blow something up. I'll see you tomorrow," ElJay turned her head towards the window after they had said goodbye. She realized that this was one of the reasons she hated school. People always separated into their cliques. ElJay knew she was a standoffish person by nature. School only rubbed in that fact. She saw her car through the window and smiled peacefully. She got up from her seat and exited the classroom. Her Carbon would make her feel better.

She noticed the dirt marks on her fenders. ElJay opened the trunk and pulled out her expensive car cleaning kit. She lathered some car shampoo onto a rag and started to wipe the dirt off. She then took some polish and began to rub the hood in circles until it shone to the point where she could see the pores on her face.

"Now I was wondering why I hadn't seen this car before," Elliot turned her head to see Mr. Arai. She smiled. He examined her car.

"Black metallic exterior, interior trim of obsidian black leather with silver stitching, 10 spoke alloy wheels with diamond turned and gloss black finish, magnum silver bonnet meshes," he nodded appreciatively," quite a car you have here, Elliot."

ElJay didn't think she could be more surprised at his thorough investigation of her car," yeah, I spent two years making it perfect. It's the most important thing in my life."

"Is that why you have absolutely no knowledge in math?"

ElJay grinned sheepishly," I've never been to school before." She propped the hood open and gestured for him to look," Hand built V12 engine produces 380 kW. It's good, but I'm trying to upgrade it to a 625i."

He whistled lowly, peering down to examine the gearbox," Not a lot of people know about the 625i around here. You are going to do very well in my Automotive program."

"You teach it?" ElJay asked. He nodded and she gave an internal whoop of excitement.

"How exactly did you get this car here?" he asked.

ElJay laughed," if I told you, I'd have to kill you, sir."

"Fair enough," he laughed along with her," Lemme know if you need some extra help in math."

"Will do," Elliot waved a reluctant goodbye. She had half an hour before lunch ended. ElJay took a small paintbrush and began to polish the interior dashboard.

Her cell phone buzzed. She smiled as she answered it," hi Jerry, is my automatic transmission here?"

"It's arrived, but Elliot they upped the price by another five thousand. It was a pain for them to get it across three borders and they're demanding for more money."

ElJay shook her head disappointedly," its fine. I'll stop by tomorrow morning with the cash."

After she hung up, she speed-dialed another number.

"Tanaka-sama, sign me up for three races tonight," she spoke, shutting her eyes and leaning her head on the back seat tiredly. It was going to be a long night, but if it was for her car, she could take it. When her cell phone buzzed once more she was really pissed off.

"What?" She snapped.

"Aw Jay, are you being bullied at school? What's with the attitude?" It was Han," anyways, I need you tonight. Two races for pinks."

"Are you gunna gimme all the money?" She wanted to know.

"Yeah, I just need the cars this time."

"I'm at your service," she said sarcastically before slamming her phone shut. That was another problem to deal with.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yo Jay, why the need to give yourself a concussion?" Hiro peered into the driver's seat his face lighting up in amusement at the girl who was currently smashing her head against her leather headrest. She had been at it for quite awhile, hoping the loss of brain cells could help her figure out an answer. ElJay shot him a searing look filled with bristling anger.

"Can you go be a waste of molecules somewhere else?"

"Probably not," he said smoothly.

"I'm warning you, I'm feeling so murderous that Satan has asked me to replace Beelzebub and join him in hell as his new right hand woman."

He looked scandalized," and you agreed? Jeez, why not go buy a stress ball instead?"

"Why don't I cut your balls off and just use them?"

Her angry tone of voice didn't faze him. Fearlessly, he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the car much to her surprise.

"Come on, you need some love from the Hiro Love Machine," he neatly closed her door shut and then wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest.

"Now," he began to stroke her head softly," as we're walking to Dome Number 2, let me tell you a story to soothe your nerves. Today in mechanical engineering, we're starting a new topic on gears and how they are used in cars. The Helical gear is the typical gear found in one's car, they operate a lot smoothly and quietly…"

ElJay listened intently. His soft voice lulling her into a sense of calm. Her comforting substance were cars themselves. If it were possible, ElJay would guzzle down oil as means of comfort food. Talking about the mechanism of cars was the next best thing. Especially when her face was being mashed into the chest of a guy who smelled like the interior of a new car.

"Woah, dude," she pulled away in surprise interrupting the story," what the hell kind of cologne do you use?"

He seemed pleased that she noticed," is it making you aphrodisiac?" he asked seriously.

The ghostly traces of a would-be smile escaped across her lips," yeah, let's go behind that bush over there and pass all four bases of a sexual relationship."

He looked disappointed that she was only kidding," it's a perfume of air born molecules emitting from freshly applied glues, plastics, vinyls and, of course, leather. My Uncle gave it to me for my birthday. I could get you a bottle if you want."

ElJay pondered at the amused look on his face. He was wearing an 'I-know-something-you-don't' look.

"I will love you forever if you do," she told him sincerely, her nose sniffing the heady scent of automotive heaven. She instantly felt better. ElJay didn't normally feel comfortable around people, but she noticed something about Hiro that set him apart from other people. His funny carefree spirit. He had this aura around him that sucked in all the pessimism from anyone around him. He was a clown, but still managed to maintain the air of cool, making everyone respect him. ElJay had known him for only a little while, but she already felt like she could trust him. Maybe it was time for her to make friends her age and not hang around old guys who worked in smelly garages, like she had for most of her life.

The stature of the dome stunned ElJay as she gazed up at its astonishing height. There was an enormous garage door off to the centre and a small entrance door to the side. Hiro tugged ElJay back as the large doors began to roll open.

"The senior class has just finished working on their cars. They're going for a test drive," Hiro explained and ElJay watched transfixed as a dozen colourful race cars zipped out of the building without waiting for the doors to open all the way.

"This school is awesome," she commented brightly.

"Yeah, all the alumni are incredibly rich so we get a lot of investments. The tuition fee is quite expensive, but it's worth it because most of the graduates end up working for state-of-the-art car manufacturers or designing computer software. We're practically guaranteed to become millionaires."

ElJay was stumped for a moment. She felt a new type of gratification for Han. She knew he had money, but to spend it on her, on something she loved to do…ElJay wondered if he purposely didn't tell her about his NOS just for the sole purpose of winning and sending her to a school like this so she could adept to her talents.

Hiro held the door open for her and watched as her face changed to bewilderment as she stepped into the dome room. ElJay thought it looked wildly futuristic. Plywood, slat-board and specially designed organizing system effectively lined the stark white rooms, painted vibrant colours. There were cabinetry neatly storing the numerous bolts and nails. Lackluster light fixtures were painted with a copper finish. A hand-painted mural instantly became the focal point picturing a racing track with blurry cars to indicate the speed. In the middle stood the skeleton of unfinished cars. ElJay counted twenty. At the back of the room there were desks set up with a chalkboard. There were already gears of various sizes drawn. ElJay carefully examined the board.

"That looks confusing," Hiro commented beside her. She gave him a small smile. Most of the class were already there. ElJay could almost feel their looks of blatant arrogance. That underlying self-satisfaction made her blood boil.

"Guys, this is ELJay," Hiro presented her to the group.

"What are you doing here, Blondie?" one of the guys commented smugly. ElJay assumed he was the one who called her a dumb blonde.

"Shouldn't you be in the cooking class with the rest of the girls?" another jeered.

"I don't think she could even handle that."

"Yeah Blondie, go stand on a street corner and pleasure people for a price."

ElJay scoffed. They were the dumbest chauvinistic pigs she had ever had the regret of hearing. She sat in the front seat and waited for Mr. Arai to show up. She could hear the mumbling of jokes going around behind her, but she focused her attention on the gears on the board. They were belt driven gears.

"Afternoon class," Mr. Arai appeared from the side. ElJay noticed that he had loosened his tie and undid the first two buttons on his shirt.

"Now, today's class is all about meshed and belted gears," he went straight to business, walking to the board," we haven't learnt this yet, but can anyone tell me using common sense if gear X turns clockwise at a constant speed of 10 rpm. How does gear Y turn?" he pointed to the variables drawn into the gears.

"Sensei, we haven't learnt this yet."

"I don't get it."

"How can you question us on something we haven't studied?"

ElJay shook her head slightly. It was so easy.

"Elliot? Do you have an answer?"

ElJay shrugged indifferently," counter-clockwise 10 revolutions per minute."

"How do you know?" he questioned.

She sighed irritably," if the gears are meshed then adjacent gears move in opposite directions. If they have an unequal number of teeth then the gear with the fewest teeth will turn faster. In this case because the third gear has fewer teeth, gear Y would turn in the opposite direction." Mr. Arai nodded impressed.

There were confused mutterings behind her.

"Come again?" someone asked behind her. Mr. Arai gave her a smile," why don't we explain it to the guys who don't get it, Elliot?" he offered. ElJay gladly stood at the front. Everyone was giving her surprised faces.

"Yeah, cuz the customers I usually pleasure for a price are car mechanics. They've taught me a great deal," she said scathingly. She looked at Mr. Arai uncertainly and he gestured for her to continue.

"Meshed gears with an equal number of teeth will turn at the same speed. If they have an unequal number of teeth then the gear with the fewest teeth will turn faster. To work out how fast one is turning with respect to the other you need to count the teeth," ElJay glanced at the group," don't tell me you don't get it. Not the most intellectually stimulating group I've ever met." ElJay examined her fingers with a bored expression. Mr. Arai continued to explain a few details ElJay missed while the group furiously copied down notes.

"I will be giving you a series of questions based on these gears you see here," Mr. Arai pointed to the group of belted gears set out neatly on high top aluminum desks to the left," you will be tested on this so if you have any concerns please voice them to Elliot or myself."

Elliot smiled despite herself. She finished the questions in mere minutes.

"Perhaps I can help you in math now?" Mr. Arai smiled at the perfect score on her paper.

ElJay shook her head no," don't expect too much from me. I don't study. The only thing I understand in this world is cars everything else is just a muddle of problems that I prefer not to deal with." ElJay didn't say that she didn't want him to be disappointed. She was slightly cynical. _Don't admire people too much, they might disappoint you._

"Fair enough," Mr. Arai bowed his head in acceptance," how about we move onto shop arithmetic then? Something more challenging than this?"

ElJay nodded her head," Nothing's really more challenging for me in mechanics."

Kitahiko Arai was a man of substance. His love for cars was akin to his love for teaching, for being a mentor his students could learn to trust. Yet, as he contemplated the girl sitting in front of him busily scribbling out answers to the equations he had given her, he couldn't fathom why she couldn't see how brilliant her mind was. He had met a lot of gifted kids, hell, his entire automotive program was filled with raw genius, evident in the masterpieces they produced, but this girl was a rarity. Arai saw something in her that had the potential to make her known to the world. He saw curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance combined with self-criticism. He could tell she wasn't one to show her emotions to the world, but a small smile of contentment could be seen as she moved from question to question. He wondered where this girl was hiding all her life. He watched as Hiro crept up behind her, locked her in a headlock and affectionately rubbed her hair.

"Jay, I didn't know you were a genius!" he exclaimed happily. Elliot looked rightfully annoyed. She tried to finish her last calculation with her head off to the side.

"I'm not really," she said distractedly as her pencil came to a stop," I just understand it." Kitahiko wondered what the difference was.

"Well take a minute from your busy genius life and come help the stupid farts who don't understand the difference between a gear and a torque. I know right? Idiots. Everyone knows the difference," Hiro adopted a look of all-knowing, then he hesitated," so uh…what's the difference, Jay?" He scratched his head.

"They're not even the same thing," ElJay exclaimed looking exasperated. Hiro dragged her out of her seat and towards the group of clueless boys," so show us the difference." He insisted.

Arai watched the girl begin to explain. He observed the boys who held onto every word she said and hurried to jot down important notes. She might even be better at teaching than he was. Kitahiko then made it his personal mission to bring this girl to awareness. To show her the genius that lay within her.

When ElJay got back to the garage after school she was beaming. Her face was streaked with oil where she had carelessly rubbed her hand after touching the oiled gears.

Han noticed this instantly," why are you in a disgustingly good mood? You're working for me now. You should be miserable."

ElJay wondered why the corners of her mouth were aching; she didn't realize she had been smiling the entire way home. Quickly schooling her features to the cruel mask of indifference it usually was, she shrugged," I am miserable. Not only is that goddamn school giving out homework faster than rabbits can breed, but now I've got projects to work on tonight along with your stupid races." ElJay had fibbed. She wondered if Han believed her. Her races for the Yaks were scheduled earlier than Han's.

"The only thing that is remotely interesting about that hellhole is the automotive program which you so graciously put me in," she continued walking towards the stairs," so if I want to stay in that damn program now I actually have to put some effort into subjects that I haven't studied for ten years. Thanks a lot." She made a show of stomping up the stairs.

"Did you make friends?" Han called while changing the transmission fluid.

"Oh yeah," he heard the sarcastic sneer," everyone was so nice, I was simply blown away." He heard the door slam and grinned.

ElJay changed quickly from her school uniform and into baggy jeans and a loose red soccer shirt. If she was fast enough, she could stop by the garage and drop off the money tonight and still be in time for Han's races.

"See you later!" She called loudly on her way down the stairs.

"I'll text you the coordinates," Han answered her from under a car.

ElJay smiled to herself in quiet triumph as she zoomed out of the garage already programming the coordinates onto her GPS that was texted to her seconds ago by her Yakuza buddies

Meanwhile, Hiro Kobayashi sat comfortably on a leather couch in his dark penthouse suite located in the high-priced areas of central Tokyo. The floor-to-ceiling windows placed on the adjacent sides of the lavishly decorated room emitted plenty of light from the darkening outside light. The young heir to a successful international real-estate investing company did not have to worry about petty things such as his parents returning home to find him entertaining half a dozen women currently roaming around his apartment in only their lingerie. He didn't worry about the large sum of money that would appear on the bill issued to him by the escort agency where he hired these women from. He didn't even worry about the mound of homework that lay unfinished on his glass desk.

Comparing his life outside of school, Hiro was a sort of enigma. At school he was popular, a goofball whom everyone respected with a talent for automotives. At home he turned dark, a calm and calculating persona overtook his usual happy exterior. A person who had the power to fire people and not feel a single ounce of regret for their families. A person who was expected to participate in business meetings to learn the tricks of the trade. He was at times expected to travel and prepare business plans to satisfy his consumers. By fifteen, he had made a profit of over a million dollars investing in real-estate. Hiro sipped delicately at the scotch in his hand and thought about how it was the first time his father was proud of him. It was a pain to be so successful at such a young age. Hiro closed his eyes tiredly thinking about the money he had to pay just to keep the media away from him. He felt two light kisses being pressed on his temples and opened his eyes, almost forgetting about the brunette twins that he was sandwiched against. He smiled slightly, forgetting that if he was making big boy money, he would have to buy big boy toys. It wasn't easy leading a double life. Sometimes you get the two confused. Normally, Hiro would have welcomed the four other women who were languidly sprawled on the floor, spreading melted chocolate on one another and licking it off all while eyeing him with drooping, seductive eyes. It was a show all for his sake, but today he just didn't enjoy it. The brunette twins with their roaming hands were kissing his neck languidly. Hiro didn't even flinch. He welcomed the vibration of his phone.

"Kobayashi," he said, his voice not hitching. He listened quietly to the other line and smiled darkly," of course, Uncle. No, I'm not doing anything important, although I do have six of the most expensive escorts the agency could offer already paid for, shall I send them your way?" He chuckled smoothly at the affirmation," I'll call you when I find her."

Hiro untangled himself from the women and walked over to the counter where the keys to his dark blue Bugatti Veyron lay.

The races were passing by very quickly. It took three minutes for ElJay to win a cherry-red Supra and another four to win a yellow Alfa Romeo. As she stood waiting for the next racer, the two cars were being exchanged for a lot of money that would be personally handed to her if she won the next race. That was the deal she had with the Yaks. She won everything and took home the loot or lost once and went with nothing. For any other racer this would've posed a challenge since most couldn't keep the adrenaline from burning them out, but not for ElJay. She was rarely unruffled by anything. Focus was always key to winning one race after another. ElJay watched as a silver Zonda Roadster rolled to the start line. _Not bad_. Still, she had no doubt in her victory. ElJay didn't really need so much money all at once. She spent a lot of it bribing people, buying upgrades, flying planes country to country which amounted to a pretty hefty sum. Still, if she got a lot of cash now then she wouldn't have to work so hard for awhile. As a driver with a reputation for winning, ElJay didn't have to worry about her car being stolen or smashed with the Yakuza on her side. She knew most drifters were aware of her affiliation with them and they didn't dare touch her. Still, as her Carbon sleeked through the finish line. she was grateful for the four men in suits who flanked her car as she came to a stop, poker faces intact and looking very menacing. The cheering audience didn't dare go near them.

"You have done good work for us, Elliot," ElJay was approached by a man whom she called Mr. X. He was closely working with Tanaka-sama and nobody was allowed to know his name. He was carrying a leather briefcase.

ElJay bowed in respect," arigatou, I appreciate everything you have done for me."

Mr. X handed her the briefcase," this is the amount all the cars have been calculated too plus a little bonus from Tanaka-sama." ElJay glanced at him in surprise. A little usually meant a few thousands. Tanaka-sama was not known for being so generous. ElJay only spoke to him by phone but she could hear the dire cruelty that resided in his voice.

"Please give him my word of thanks," ElJay bowed again. Mr. X returned the goodbye and with a wave of his hand, the black suited men were gone. ElJay sat back into her car and opened the briefcase. She felt the wads of the thousand dollar bills in delight. She stuffed one wad into her pocket and hid the rest under the driver's seat. She reminded herself to put it in her bank account later. ElJay was about to start the car when something caught her eye. She swore she saw a Bugatti Veyron turning around the corner. She blinked. Now there was a car to be worried about. It was the most expensive, most powerful, and fastest production car in the whole world. Of course if crashed that would be a couple million dollars thrown out. ElJay hoped that the driver wasn't willing to take that risk. She shook the thought out of her head, having better things to worry about.

Hiro watched as ElJay took out a small wad of bills and handed it to a burly slightly overweight man at a secluded garage. It wasn't hard to find the Drift Queen. He only needed to make two calls to confirm her whereabouts. Hiro was impressed, but not surprised. She had already proved herself with her knowledge of automotives. Hiro didn't like mixing school life with his world outside of it. He never brought friends home. He never dated girls from school although there were plenty of takers. Yet, he knew he wanted to make this girl a part of both of his lives.

"Uncle," he spoke into his phone," I have an interesting proposition for you." He eyed Elliot with a sort of feral gleam in his eye," you can take the car, but I get her."

There was silence on the other line and Hiro waited in anticipation.

"Deal."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Good morning, Elliot," Rin Kojima eyed the girl sprawled across her desk strangely. ElJay stirred. It was a long night. She got to sleep only at three. She couldn't stop yawning when she got up the next morning only half-awake. She had stumbled down the stairs, her uniform in complete disarray. Despite her tiredness, ElJay was alert when she got into her car. If she was going to drive her creation, she had to be vigilant. Once she got on school property, ElJay was as sluggish as ever. She had fallen fast asleep as soon as her head hit her desk.

"Did you finish the math homework?" Rin continued on.

"Did we have math homework?" ElJay mumbled sleepily. Homework was the last thing on ElJay's mind as she calculated the amount of money she had accumulated in her bank account over the years. There had to be at least a hundred thousand. ElJay didn't dare spend any of it on herself. She almost drooled at the thought of all the upgrades she could buy for her car. The races at the Chinese circuit happening in a few weeks would double that she hoped.

The morning passed by slowly as each of her teachers told her off for not finishing homework. ElJay almost felt guilty when Mr. Arai approached her and gently told her that she would have to start making an effort if she wanted to remain in the Automotive program. ElJay managed an indifferent shrug, but she really did want to stay and upstage all the boys. They were continuing with gears today, but ElJay was working on an extra credit project. Mr. Arai asked her if she wanted to build her own engine from scratch to put her extensive knowledge to use. ElJay wracked her brain for the perfect parts that would build an efficient and most importantly green engine that took a more minimalistic approach to carbon dioxide emissions.

Kitahiko watched the girl scribble down possible combinations before frowning and taking another sheet of paper. He smiled secretively to himself having no doubt that she would have created the perfect masterpiece by the end of the year. He was prepared to fund her every step.

Hiro himself watched the girl bite her lip in concentration. He wondered when his Uncle would make this deal happen. He had been very vague on the phone, almost reluctant. Twice he had caught her openly staring at him and wondered what she was thinking. He knew it was almost time for him to make his move.

ElJay stared shamelessly at Hiro. When he laughed he reminded her so much of someone. It made her angry that she couldn't figure it out. Something else had been bothering her. Last night she told herself it was nothing, but today she was certain she saw the same Bugatti Veyron from the races while she was at Jerry's garage.

"Yo Jay," Hiro slung an arm around her shoulder after school," you busy tonight?"

ElJay looked startled. She had only known him for a few days, _was he already asking for a date_?

"Yeah," she said simply casually shaking off his arm.

"When'll you be free?"

"Who knows?" She shrugged.

"Mysterious," Hiro commented," I like that."

They walked over to her car. ElJay opened the door and turned to face him," see you tomorrow then."

He nodded absentmindedly noticing something on the roof of her car. He stepped closer to her, his hand reaching for something behind her head. ElJay stayed rooted in place as the full blast of his cologne hit her. If he moved his head any closer, his lips would touch her temple. Just as quickly he stepped back and held out something for her to see.

"Leaf," He threw it away carelessly and waved a goodbye. ElJay blinked before coming to her senses and driving away. She had an automatic transmission to install.

ElJay arrived back to Han's garage starving. She heard the girlish laughter coming from the second floor loft and assumed Han was entertaining tonight.

"Jay, welcome back," he called craning his neck to look down at her from the couch. An unpleasant feeling settled in her stomach and she watched two women paw at him. She saluted him with two fingers and walked over to the fridge.

"We were actually just discussing you," he said as she took out leftover takeout. The women around him twittered.

"Remember when you were thirteen and you got so jealous because you saw me with a blonde haired woman?" He gave a light chuckle.

ElJay's cheeks burned," I don't remember that." She decided denial was the best bet.

" You confronted me the next day and told me that you should be the only blonde in my life," He continued.

"I did not say it like that," she turned to him furiously, slamming the fridge door harder than necessary. He looked triumphant that she admitted it.

"Oh don't deny it, Elliot dear, every girl has a crush on our Han at some point in their life," a floozy remarked and the whole group burst into laughter.

"Hilarious," ElJay muttered as she made her way to the side stairs. She scooped up some rice from the box as she walked up the stairs pretending that the conversation wasn't unnerving her.

"The funny thing is though," she said once she was levelled with them and could see everyone's face," I haven't seen you with a blonde since then." She smiled slightly to herself as the loft broke out in such protests that it started to shake. She had already closed the door. ElJay flopped onto her bed and checked her phone for texts. There were none. She was free for tonight. It was the perfect time to wash her car. She finished off the takeout and changed into baggy jeans and a loose t-shirt. She twisted her hair into a loose bun and ignoring the loud chatter coming from the loft made her way down the stairs two at a time.

A week went by and ElJay's life had fallen into a boring routine. School. Car. Races. Money. Eating and sleeping were luxuries she sometimes couldn't afford. Her homework remained unfinished and her teachers stopped pestering her about it not expecting much anymore. They would eventually leave her alone once they realized their attempts were useless. All except Mr. Arai. He was the exception. She had shown him a design of an engine. He had shaken his head and said she could do better. ElJay explained that to do better would take a lot money on the parts. He told her to use whatever was needed. The Chinese races were coming up in a week and ElJay was getting home later than usual, honing her skills in the mountains and at different races. The money didn't matter to her at this point, it was all about experience. She didn't know how she was going to explain to Han that she had to fly to China for a couple of days. Hiro had proved to be a worthy acquaintance. He had found her a transmission fluid that made her engine purr smoother than before. She didn't know how he did it, but this wasn't even out yet in most countries. She had found very powerful people. The one downside was that Han was examining her car today so she took the train to school.

"You free tonight, Jay?" Hiro had asked her for the umpteenth time that week. ElJay took pity on him. He seemed so hopeful all the time.

"I'm—" she was about to give her affirmation when her phone rang," busy."

"Jay here," she answered.

"Yo baby, long time no chat," a cocky voice spoke on the other line. Hiro watched as ElJay froze.

"The boss wants us to do a drug run tonight."

"Kane, wait. I can't tonight."

"Too late, baby. I'm already here," she heard his dark chuckle and looked around the entrance frantically. Sure enough a grey Corvette was pulling up slowly. ElJay shut her eyes as a wave of nausea passed through her.

"Well hello hello, Jailbait. I didn't know you'd grow so nicely into your curves after only two years," Kane practically crowed as ElJay glared at him. He was still as handsome as ever. His black hair had grown out making it stick up messily. As ElJay got into the convertible, his electric green eyes were as appraising as ever. She gave a small pursed smile to Hiro. Kane was a mix between British and Japanese. He was two years older than her and ElJay always thought he was good-looking. If he wasn't so sleazy he would be a nice friend to have. He was the one who helped her move her car from country to country. ElJay felt obligated to be nice to him so when he leaned in to place a slow kiss on her cheek she said nothing.

Hiro watched in disgust as Kane lightly took her chin and turned it towards him.

"You are still as kawaii as ever," he grinned wolfishly at her. ElJay forced a smile," let's go."

Something in Hiro began to rumble. He so badly wanted to call up his men and have them deal with this seedy bastard. He watched darkly as the car revved loudly and screeched away. Something shot through him. He kept his home personality away from school, but today it had appeared. He had watched something he wanted being taken from him by someone who didn't deserve it. That wouldn't do.

"Yoo hoo, Hiroooo," Haruka Fujioka grabbed onto his arm," you wanna go to karaoke with me tonight?" They had always played this game. She would ask him to karaoke and he would say something cute and decline, but today he yanked his arm from her as if burned and gave her a searing look. It was a look so darkly confident that she stepped back with wide eyes. Hiro's blood was pumping. His eyes became unfeeling, cool and calculating as he thought of his next move. He cracked his neck.

He scoffed at her, whirling around and stalking away. He didn't see the way Haruka swooned.

"You're so cool, Hiro," she whined, paying no attention to his drastic personality change.

"Nice Jay, I think we lost em," Kane looked behind and saw no cops in sight. ElJay sat breathlessly behind the wheel the adrenaline still pumping through her. She had stopped in a hidden alleyway that connected to central Tokyo. They had gotten the drugs to Chiba and then stopped at a bunch of places to collect money. Kane was young, but his tattooed body made him a noticeable Yakuza. He was a man of the underworld through and through. ElJay knew it wasn't her best drive. Her head was panging uncomfortably. She felt ready to collapse at any given moment.

He turned to her," so, now that we're finished here, we can go to my place or we can do it right here." He leaned towards her, but ElJay had opened the door and was walking away.

"Come on, Jay. I've saved myself for you for two years now," he whined.

"That's not saying much," ElJay said, rubbing her arms against the cool night.

"Do you know how hard it is for a guy like me to keep the girls off of him?" He grabbed her elbow and forced her to face him," but I did it. All for you."

"I didn't ask you to," she said, strongly, but even the strongest falter sometimes. He wrapped a strong arm around her small waist.

"Kane. Don't." She ground out as his hand found its way under her skirt.

"Please Jay, just gimme five minutes," he whispered against her hair.

She recoiled from him and her head hit the brick wall behind her painfully," really? Are you out of practice? If you aren't going to take me home then I'll walk." She was about to slip past him when his hand slammed into the wall blocking her escape.

ElJay stared up at him defiantly.

He leaned down until they were eye level," it's not like I won't see it in the future."

ElJay's eyes flashed angrily. Her face turned into a grimace and she squinted her eyes to keep them dry.

To her surprise he let her go and reached into his pocket pulling out a wad of cash," here, it's your keep." She took it glaring at the ground.

"Are you going to be ok getting home?" he asked almost kindly.

"Yeah," she sniffed, running a finger over her nose.

"See you later," he looked at her tenderly placing a kiss on her temple. She continued watching the ground even after he drove away. There was once a time when her feelings were very strong for him. But that was two years ago. ElJay turned around still clutching the wad of cash when she stopped short.

"Hiro? What are you doing out this late?" She hastily stuffed the money in her wallet which was already overflowing with bills. Hiro stared from the sidewalk at her wallet.

"That's not from him is it?" he asked harshly. She blinked at his tone of voice. She noticed that he was wearing black pants and a white shirt with the collar turned upwards.

"What do you mean?" She asked walking to him.

"I mean how much did he pay you per hour?" he rephrased, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

ElJay's vision swam," woah. I'm not prostituting around, Hiro."

"Then where did you two disappear to?" he asked a slow smile spreading across his face. ElJay placed a hand against the wall to support her spinning head.

"I take it your silence means I can assume the worst," he continued. ElJay thought that maybe she was hallucinating this Hiro. He would never use that condescending tone with anybody.

"Hiro, I…" she didn't get to finish as she lost her centre of gravity and fell forward. Hiro caught her just before she hit the ground. He smiled in triumph at the girl laying in his arms.

When ElJay's eyes fluttered open, she felt the silky covers against her skin and immediately deduced she wasn't in her own bed. She shot up in panic only to clutch her head at the searing pain that ran through her head as black spots appeared in front of her. She hurriedly blinked and looked around the room. It was the luxury modernist furniture and impeccable view of the Tokyo skyline that had ElJay springing off the bed. She wracked her brain for what happened before she fell unconscious. Kane and then Hiro. She opened the mahogany door and exited into a wide hallway. She could hear slow, sensual music playing as she walked down the short corridor. She peeked around the corner hesitantly and did a double take.

Hiro and a scantily dressed woman stood by the open front door. ElJay watched as he took a long drag from something that smelled a lot like weed.

"Thank you so much for coming," he smiled leisurely, blowing little circles of smoke into her mouth. Her eyes rolled back as he placed a slow kiss on her neck. Then he took the rolled joint and placed it in her mouth. She bowed lowly before leaving. He kicked the door shut with his foot.

"You know Jay, when I thought about undressing you, those particular undergarments were not what I hoped to find." He turned to her and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Then his words registered and she looked down at herself. She was in her favourite black girl boxers and matching sports bra.

"Such a shame really," he walked towards his stainless steel bar kitchen," you shouldn't hide that 32C of yours."

It wasn't even a question. It was a fact. ElJay wondered how he knew that.

"You didn't actually measure did you?" she asked lamely at a loss of what to say.

"Nope," he opened a cupboard door and pulled out a bottle of scotch. He poured a hefty sum and downed half. ElJay slowly walked over to the bar and watched as he poured her a glass of water. She raised an eyebrow," that's it?"

He pushed the glass towards her and smirked," you're not ready for the big boy stuff, Jay."

ElJay could almost hear the implied 'yet'.

"Well, thanks for not leaving me in that alleyway Hiro, but I should go," she was slightly insulted that he didn't offer her the scotch. She had been wasted plenty of times before. Well, only once really.

"There's just one thing I'd like to discuss with you," he gestured for her to sit on the bar stool before taking something out of his pocket and flinging it onto the table.

"My wallet?" she asked.

"That's right. You can leave after you've told me how you got the money," he looked at her pointedly.

"I have very affluent parents," she said.

His eyes flashed dangerously," don't lie."

"I'm not. They send me money every we—" Hiro had walked behind her and placed two hands on the bar table caging her. She felt her mouth go very dry as his chest pressed into her back and his warm breath exhaled next to her ear. ElJay suddenly grateful for the water, reached for the glass and gulped down most of it.

"Try again," he said," I know you're an orphan and you say you're not a prostitute so how does a young girl like you acquire a hundred and sixty thousand dollars in her savings account?"

"How the hell did you get access to my accounts?" she asked angrily.

"A mere technicality," he brushed it off and he pressed closer against her.

"Who are you? Do you have multiple personality disorder, Hiro?" She tried pushing his arms away in a feeble attempt to escape, but his arms circled around her waist tightly. He parted her long hair to one side staring at the milky skin on her neck.

"Are you an illegal street racer?" he whispered in her ear.

"No," she managed to say without gasping. He blew lightly into her ear and ElJay couldn't stop the goose-bumps from erupting on her skin.

"Shame. You could've saved yourself so much trouble."

"Meaning?" ElJay looked at him curiously.

"I'll leave you wondering."

This time, ElJay slipped past him," whatever. If you'd give me my clothes then I'll leave."

"I wouldn't advise it," he said simply. ElJay checked the clock. It was only three in the morning.

"You haven't been sleeping, you're exhausted. Stay here for the night."

ElJay thought of Han," I have people who are probably worried about me."

"You mean Han?" he deadpanned.

ElJay looked at him surprised," how did you—"

"I know things. Most of the kids with topnotch cars go to his garage. Do you really think he even notices your absence? Your cell phone has been with me for the whole night and nobody's called. Jay, a womanizer like that wouldn't worry about a little girl like you," Hiro looked at her in mock pity.

"You don't know anything," she snapped. Han was her guardian. He was with her during the toughest moment in her life. He had taken her in.

"Maybe you do have a bond, but think of it logically. A rich guy like that wouldn't just house a little girl out of the goodness of his heart. You must bring some kind of value to him," he had gotten her uniform from a closet. ElJay snatched it from him and hurriedly began pulling it on. She stuffed her feet in her boots.

"I don't believe you," she shot him a scathing look, grabbing her cell phone and bag,

"Jay," his voice was soft as he caressed her cheek," you have a very symmetrical face." Hiro watched in glee as frightened eyes slowly rose to look at him," I wonder why?" his tone implied that he would find out. ElJay shuddered, backing away from him in wonder and backing into the door. He couldn't possibly know, she assured herself. She reached for the handle not taking her eyes of him. She slammed the door behind her.

It took ElJay a few minutes to get her bearings. She used the GPS on her phone to locate the garage. It wasn't that far from here. She set off at a brisk pace. She was wigged out. Her past held so many skeletons that she wanted to keep hidden in the closet. It was demoralizing to hear that they were being dug up. Han had to be worried about her. She wondered what kind of punishment she would receive for staying out so late. She picked up her pace strangely eager at the thought. Nobody had ever punished her before.

She inserted the key slowly into the door and opened the garage. She heard music coming from the loft and her heart began to sink. She saw Han in the kitchen getting a beer from the fridge.

"Yo Jay, isn't it a little early for school?" his face broke into a smile when he saw her. He hadn't noticed she was missing.

She closed her eyes. Whether it was in relief or disappointment she wasn't sure. She wondered if he noticed her messy hair or crumpled uniform or the untied boots. Her heart gave a painful thump and her eyes stung for a split second.

When she opened her eyes she gave a light chuckle," I know right? I'm going in earlier to work on the extra credit assignment for my automotive class."

He nodded thoughtfully," I'll drive you."

"It's fine," she said sharper than intended," I'll just walk. If I get raped by gangsters it'll be your own damn fault for taking too long with my Carbon. How long does it take to look at an engine?"

"You sure are an outspoken employee aren't you? Just because we've had a bit of history together does not change the fact that you work for me now," he told her smugly.

ElJay growled quietly," whatever, Boss," she added insolently.

Han sniggered," that's more like it. Now lemme just say bye to the girls and we'll be off."

ElJay leaned against a cement column and shut her eyes tiredly, running a hand through her wild hair.

She hopped into the passenger seat of his Veilside and waited. It had been a long time since she had driven with him. It brought back the memory of when they first met.

The drive was silent. ElJay had just closed her eyes to catch a few minutes of much needed sleep when he spoke.

"We haven't spent a lot of time together since you got here."

"Yeah well it's hard to get a word in when you're surrounded by women all the time," she deadpanned.

"Let's go drifting in the mountains this weekend. Go back to the place where your talent began."

"I'm busy."

"It wasn't a request. As your boss, I order you," his voice, though commanding held the slightest hint of amusement.

"You're not the only person I know who can get me a 629i engine, you know? I don't have to work for you." It was a lie, but maybe the Yakuza could scare someone into telling her where to obtain one if she worked for them full time.

"Jay, the only reason you're still here is because you hate broken promises. Unfortunately you lost the proposition you set out for me so this is how things roll from now on. Besides, you're too important to me. I wouldn't let anyone else have this talent of yours. So just know that if I find your working for someone else, there will be hell to pay."

ElJay couldn't believe he was threatening her. She also wondered if the Yakuza counted as 'working for someone else'. The school had thankfully appeared before ElJay could think of an answer.

"Which reminds me, your scheduled for races tonight."

"Same old, same old," she waved a hand absentmindedly.

"A'ight then. I'll be done with your Carbon by the afternoon."

ElJay barely heard him. She would have to get a NOS tank installed by tonight. She watched him drive away and when the Veilside was out of sight, she sat on the curb. The garages were closed this early, she'd have to wait until teachers arrived. She thought of Mr. Arai's warning about her incomplete homework. She took out her math book. Light filtered through a dim streetlight as she begrudgingly flipped through the pages. After a few minutes she laid back on the cement with a groan placing the book onto her face in defeat. Her thoughts wandered from Han to her Carbon and finally to Hiro. An unpleasant feeling in her stomach settled. Did he have multiple personality disorder? Or was he just bipolar… She decided it didn't matter.

"Elliot?"

"Mr. Arai?" she squinted against the light, standing up.

"What are you doing here so early?" he came into view carrying a cardboard box.

She shrugged," I'm a dedicated scholar. What are you doing here?"

He smiled in humour," I'm an insomniac. I work on cars in the dead of night." She noted his hands greased black from the oil. Kitahiko watched as her eyes lit up," can I help?"

"Did you finish your homework?" he asked, knowingly.

"Is that an ultimatum?" she countered.

"It's a compromise," he gestured for her to walk with him to the garages. She smiled softly," you know you shouldn't expect much out of people, because they'll most likely end up disappointing you."

"Are you talking about yourself?" he asked.

"I'm a good example." She was thoughtful," I don't have much going on for me."

"Is that self-pity?"

"It's a fact. I wasn't even supposed to be here. After this year, I'm thinking of buying an island and living in complete seclusion for the rest of my life."

"Alone?"

"Alone is peaceful."

"Well, I think the world would suffer a great loss."

She looked at him in surprise as she held the door open for him, smelling the musky scent of sawdust and oil. He set the box onto his table and walked over to a car with an open hood.

"I'm having trouble starting this car up. Thoughts?"

ElJay was still pondering his statement from before. She took one careful glance at the car making her deduction," spark plug wire is cut, bearings on the crankshaft is worn out, and you need an oil change."

"That was brilliant."

"It wasn't exactly challenging," she shrugged impassively. She sat at her desk and placed her head on her hands," since we've reached an impasse on our compromise, can I sleep?"

"Knock yourself out," he nodded and she chuckled at the intended pun.

ElJay had streaked through the finish line effortlessly. It was a fourteen car race held on the crowded midnight streets of Tokyo. It was exhilarating for her to finally be out of parking lots. She had made record timing too. The requester was satisfied with a runner-up place, but ElJay set high standards for herself. Even Han seemed pleasantly thrilled. That smile of his reminded her the painful crush she still had on him that wasn't going away.

"Let's go celebrate," he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. It didn't help that they were being mashed together in the crowded space of cheering drifters and his scent was everywhere.

"I don't want to," she decided was the best answer. It didn't make sense how he had left her completely boneless with a single glance back when she was fourteen and after two years that feeling was ten times worse. The reaction should've been mild after the years apart. _Why had nothing changed?_

"You really are an indignant employee aren't you?" he laughed. ElJay was about to voice her dissent again when his sugary breath hit her nose. As if on a high she felt herself nodding her head and allowing him to lead her to her car. She twirled her keys on her index finger before placing them into his outstretched hand.

"You know, a lot of newbies had their doubts about your car. That's why we got so many requests on your first week. A drifter suffers a certain humiliation when they have an-"

"An import car," ElJay guessed leaning into the headrest.

"With all kinds of fancy hacks and mods. I still don't know how you did it. Import cars usually really blow in the drift scene."

"Took me two years. I had to buy a fake ID and wear layers of makeup to made me look older just so I could buy parts," ElJay smiled in memory," It showed me just how malleable men can be when high heels and the fluttering of lashes could make them give me whatever I needed."

"I'd have liked to see that," he grinned," considering you don't wear any of that now and you could still make us give you whatever you wanted."

"You interested in being a subject to my manipulative ways?" she joked even though she felt like she was going to burn on the spot.

He grimaced and shifted his hands on the steering wheel," you're not doing that now, right?"

ElJay looked at him curiously," why would it matter?"

"I wouldn't want my protégée making the wrong choices for herself now would I?" He chuckled. ElJay turned to look straight ahead, disappointed that it wasn't something more personal.

"Choices are choices and the ones you make will determine what kind of person you'll become," she mused quietly.

"Do you know what kind of person you want to become?"

ElJay shrugged," I'll just go with the flow and see how I turn out…" she trailed off.

"Don't BS like that, Jay," he looked at her sharply.

She stared at him in surprise," what do you mean?"

"Why would you try to hide your ambition from me? From everyone."

"Ambit—" she started to question, but was cut off.

"You've never just went with the flow. For as long as I've known you, you were always striving towards something. Even when I first met you when you hadn't even hit puberty yet and still squeaked while you talked, you already had a passion for cars. For two years you went away to make a car that would fit you. I don't know any kid who's done that before."

"So what about it?" ElJay was a bit miffed that he called her a kid," What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that you want to be someone bigger than this, but something is holding you back and I want to know what it is," she was surprised as his straight-forwardness.

"Bigger than what? How can I be? I am perfectly content being where I am and I don't care—"

His hand came flying inches from her face," don't… say you don't care." She jerked back in surprise at his tone.

"Were you going to bitchslap me just now?" she asked, incredulously," you must have been a girl in your past life."

He brought his hand back and shook his head as if in disappointment.

"And why are you giving me a cheesy pep talk anyway. I like my life. I'm proud of the accomplishments I've made. It's enough." She was getting antsy with this topic and Han noticed.

"If you made a bigger effort, you could take your talents to the international level," he pressed on.

ElJay now thoroughly uncomfortable, snapped at him," I can't! I haven't got the money or the status to become so well-known. I know what you're thinking. That I should start my own car business, but who the hell would want to buy a car from a criminal delinquent anyway? Because that's really what I am. I never play fair, I cheat in everything. This useless brain of mine can only comprehend engines and parts and how to fit them together to create an efficient machine not how to start a business or how to sell anything. Besides, people have obligations which they can't back out of and ambition gets in the way so it's better to just put it out." She sat back, realizing she said too much.

"Why did you come back to Japan?" Han asked her slowly.

"I told you I'd come back once I finished my car," she mumbled. Somewhere along the way, celebrations were forgotten as Han turned into the garage. ElJay was out of the car even before it stopped moving. The garage was dark. The only light streaming from the high windows that were placed on the walls. None of them bothered turning on the light.

"You still haven't answered my question," he got out, placing a hand on the door frame and observing as she stormed into the darkened kitchen.

"Oh what, no women today? What a shocker," ElJay snipped back, rolling her eyes. She flung open the fridge door, the light illuminating her anxious face took out a bottle of water. She took a small sip before changing her mind and dumping half the bottle over her head.

"Why did you come back after you turned sixteen?"

"You're being ridiculous. It took me two years to get my car together and then I came back. End of story," she walked towards him, shaking her dripping hair out," now would you mind stepping away from my car, you're getting fingerprints all over the frame."

He stepped away from the still open door and ElJay rolled down her sleeve over her hand and scrubbed at the prints.

"What are you not telling me?"

"CChan we please just drop it?!" She swivelled around to face him," I am so fucking tired right now that if I hear another word coming from you I will cut your tongue out in your sleep."

All of a sudden, his hands reached out to cup her cheeks holding her in place as his lips kissed her own. ElJay gasped as the force sent her crashing into her car door, slamming it in place. There was a resounding silence that soon followed. ElJay thought she blacked out for a millisecond. Her mind registered on his hands that felt rough against her smooth cheeks. His longish hair that tickled her nose. His lips were unmoving and his eyes were shut tightly as if he was in pain. Her own eyes were wide open. It was so completely wrong, but she was going to allow herself to indulge just for a few more seconds before pushing him away. His lips started to move against hers and she felt shivers up her spine. One hand drifted down to her waist while the other moved to cup her chin. Logic warred with the ache in her gut and ElJay lost all common sense. _Just this once._ She kissed him back.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

ElJay spent the entire night sitting at her desk and watching the sky change colour. Her hands wouldn't stop trembling so she fisted them on her leggings, bunching up the fabric tightly on her knees. As a hazy pink tinted the horizon signalling dawn, she got up from her seat; her movements mechanical and grabbed a freshly laundered uniform from her closet while heading to the bathroom. A shower cleared her thoughts, but her heart still clenched and a blush appeared on her cheeks as she revisited memories from last night. She blow-dried her hair, the comforting whirring blocking out the music that was currently blasting downstairs signalling a new day had begun for the workers. ElJay bit her lip. Due to her hectic life, she was up before them and came home late so they missed each other completely. She wondered if Sean or Twinky would notice a change in her. She shook her head no, they were guys after all. She scowled at herself for not getting out earlier. She didn't want to talk to anyone today. She took a deep breath and masked her eyes with her usual indifferent expression. Grabbing her Domo bag, she peeked around the apartment door. It wasn't even the workers she was worried about, it was running into _him._ Her shoulders were stiff as she walked down the stairs. If she could get to the fridge, it would be ok. She noticed three guys, two of them being Sean and Twinky and one girl gathered around an engine, looking deep in thought. Quietly, she opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. Shaking it absentmindedly, she turned to look at the group in a heated discussion.

"…lack of compression."

"Yeah, what's the reason? Hole in cylinder?"

"Nah, the piston rings."

"I'm tellin ya, all this baby needs is an oil change."

"And this is why you're not a mechanic, Twinky."

"Yeah, why are you even here?"

ElJay grinned and took a sip walking towards her car. She was full out choreographing her victory dance when she accidentally bumped into…

"Now guys, let's let the expert deal with this shall we?" His hands reached out to steady her and she was so shaken up by that contact that she spat out frothy milk all over him.

"My bad," she looked him in the eye not wanting to show anymore embarrassment.

"You look red, Jay," he commented with a smirk.

"It's because of the blow-dryer," she said it confidently. The three guys behind her burst out in laughter. She turned to them with a raised eyebrow, but that set them off even more. The girl gestured to her mouth, but ElJay was still confused. She walked over to them and peered at the engine.

"It's a hole in the cylinder alright."

"Can you explain that?" it was Twinky who asked and the guys were laughing again.

"Uhm…so generally the cylinder and the cylinder head bolt together with a thin gasket pressed between them," the howls increased and ElJay trailed off unsurely," to ensure a good seal."

"What happens when the gasket breaks down?" they questioned her again.

She looked thoughtful," the holes will cause leaks." She shook her head confusedly and turned to look at Han," why is that funny?" An amused smile was playing at the corner of his lips as he gently wiped the remnants of milk from her mouth that she forgot was there.

"Shut up you three, she's too innocent to understand the double meanings."

"It's cuz she spends all her time thinking 'bout cars and not what's really ballin' in this life," Twinky commented, slinging an arm around her neck and hugging her to him," you're such a kid, Jay."

Speaking of cars, her eyes widened slightly in realization. She masked it quickly, but Han noticed.

"I'mma be late," she pushed herself away from Twinky and walked towards her car. Han followed.

"I'll be late tonight, so don't wait up," she told him shortly.

"You mean you'll be home by four, I'll see you then?" he corrected with a stern look.

"Not tonight. I'm doing extra credit work with Mr. Arai."

"Behind closed doors in a spacious garage?" he questioned, leaning against her hood," sounds kinky."

"Do you really think I want to get my favourite teacher fired?" She covered her blush by getting into the wheel and starting the car. Then with a smirk she leaned slightly towards the rolled down window," but, it's not like I haven't thought about it." She wanted the last word as she backed out with her signature squeal of tires and shot off into the street. She wanted him to think that last night hadn't affected her in the least. When in reality she was shaken to the core. The sound of her phone startled her.

"Jay, you need to get over here right now."

She sighed," Kane, I have school. It'll have to wait."

"Tanaka-sama has personally extended an invitation. You know what happened to the guy who made him wait," Kane laughed, but ElJay had paled.

"I'll let people know your coming." She knew he meant the goons that were constantly patrolling the entrance. ElJay cursed to herself. Tanaka was with her through the darkest moments in her life. She held a lot of respect for him.

"You better hurry. He doesn't like waiting."

ElJay hung up the phone and accelerated. She wished she could've changed into something more badass than her domo bag and uniform, but it couldn't be helped. She knew exactly how menacing Tanaka-sama was when forced to wait. The last guy that made him wait had to apologize the Yakuza way. ElJay still saw the guy around…without his left pinkie finger. It was brutal, but it got the fear across. She turned onto a wide road, glancing briefly down the alleyways. She could already hear the sharp revving engines signalling that expensive cars were amidst. She revved her own engine and the tattooed gangsters guarding an entranceway parted as she expertly weaved into the official Yakuza courtyard.

She gave a sharp exhale, adopting an indifferent look as she stepped out of her car. It suddenly got very quiet. Even the goons sitting on the hoods of their cars had turned down the music and stopped sucking face with the girls around them. ElJay was about to wave at them when to her surprise they hopped of their hoods and bowed lowly to her. She froze in place looking all around her. Every Yakuza member was bowing their head in her direction. Something was very different. They were usually impassive around her not liking a foreigner in their ranks, not to mention a girl.

An arm snaked around her shoulder and she looked up at the smirking face of Kane.

"What's going on?" She whispered.

"Just keep walking," he led her to a narrow passageway. ElJay could feel every pair of eyes follow them. She turned to look at them.

"Is it finally Respect-Women-Day in the Yakuza household?" she spoke, turning to Kane. Her eyes widened as his lips met hers. She was about to push him away, but his hands found the sides of her unbuttoned blazer and pulled her towards him. Just as quickly, before the struggle began, he released her.

"What the hell was that?" She hissed.

"Just giving them a little show," he said nonchalantly, walking past her. ElJay scoffed and stomped after him. She was surprised when an image of Han filtered through her thoughts. She stumbled slightly as a wave of tiredness swept over her. ElJay made a mental note to sleep earlier. Kane slid aside a rice-paper door, depicting a delicately painted dragon. Entering the lair of the Yakuza head was like stepping into royalty. There was nothing menacing about it. No dank storage room. No stink of alcohol. There was a large archway and EJay stared in awe at the high-ceiling, white-coloured room that was accented by a fine brick fireplace. There were modernist white couches striped in cream. A jewelled chandelier brightly lighted the room shaking ElJay's fear. She looked at Kane questionably. He put an arm around her shoulder and leant down to whisper in her ear," I made him do a little redecorating."

"Can you do that?" she couldn't help but ask in wonder. He smiled at the admirable tone in her voice. Before they entered through the archway, Kane took her shoulders and stared into her grey depths.

"Before we go in, Jay, you need to promise me that you'll accept my grandfather's gift to you even with the attached strings. Grandfather has broken a lot of rules letting you into our coven. If you decline, things could happen to the people closest to you." His eyes were anxious, but they held her gaze strongly.

"Tanaka-sama is a very reasonable man, Kane. He has already done too much for me. It would not be my place to decline anything he offers," ElJay gave him a warm smile," besides, there's something even you don't know."

"And what's that?"

"You call him grandfather, but legally he isn't right?"

Kane's eyes hardened," right," he said stiffly.

"Haven't you ever wondered why?"

" I know why. It's cuz my slut of a mother jumped a guy from England,"

ElJay nodded," and when Tanaka-sama found out that you were not the offspring of his son."

"He left her with nothing in exile,"

"Right, and Tanaka-sama refused to legally adopt you because of it, but even so, he has taken a liking towards you so he's allowing you to become the heir after him."

"So what's your point?"

"I'm saying that it's not the reason. I'm sorry, Kane. It'll make sense soon enough."

"How is it that you know more than I do and you're only an underdog for us?" he scoffed. ElJay was about to retort when a gruff voice sounded from the doorway," Kane, do not speak so insolently." Both ElJay and Kane cringed, but were quick to mask their fear with a low bow.

"Elliot-san, it is truly an honour to be meeting you after all the years."

ElJay straightened up," it very much is…Grandfather," she forced herself to say the word knowing that he was expecting it. She saw Kane's eyes dart to hers in surprise.

"Your life has not been easy yet I thank you for the work you have done for me in Japan and overseas as well," Tanaka-sama inclined his head towards her.

ElJay bowed as well," I thank you for adopting me after my parents were killed."

"I held your father in very high esteem. He had a brilliant mind for cars."

ElJay smiled," thank you for those kind words."

"Elliot-san," he gestured for her to follow him out of the room," you must be wondering why I called you here today."

She fell into step beside him. Sneaking a glance at Kane, she was surprised to see him smirking at her, a dark glint of unbeknownst humour meshed in his green eyes.

"I wanted to go over the preparations for the upcoming races in Shanghai," She turned back to Tanaka-sama," we have booked you a suite at the JW Marriott. Arrangements have already been made for your car to be transported to the airport so you may drive straight to the hotel where a valet service has been notified and my men will watch over your car until the races begin to ensure that it has not been tampered with."

"Thank you for this thoughtfulness, Grandfather," ElJay commented.

"There have been quite a few bets already placed on you, Elliot-san. This will be the last thing I ask of you for soon you will no longer be my employee. If you do well in these races, your place among us will be guaranteed."

They had stopped in front of a staircase going downwards.

"There is something that I should have given you a long time ago, but my weak heart was unable to revisit painful memories." He gestured for her to go down the staircase. Curiously, she walked down into an enormous garage. She smiled as she looked upon the dozens of cars she had raced with the pink slips still attached reminiscing on her numerous victories. In the middle was an object covered by a silk black cloth.

"Your father was unable to finish his masterpiece. It was supposedly recreated and sold on the black market, but this one is the original. I am sure he would've wanted you to have it. I'm sure he would be proud to know you've followed so gallantly in his footsteps. Before the races begin, I want you to have it."

ElJay fisted the tarp and in a fluid notion unveiled the silvery engine which blinded her with its lustre. Closing her eyes, she smiled softly to herself. Beside her, Kane let out a low whistle. Turning to look at her," This is—"

"The 629i," she finished for him, her hand running over the silver.

"And you're father—"

"Created it." She looked at him," brilliant, isn't he?"

He roughly brought a hand down on her shoulder," he was." Despite her furious blinking, Kane felt like he had to correct her present-tense.

Her eyes hardened and she gathered her hair in a ponytail, purposely knocking his hand away in the process.

"This ensures our victory," she bowed again to Tanaka who smiled in melancholy. As ElJay began examining the unfinished engine in front of her, he walked towards the staircase stopping a few centimetres behind Kane.

"If you're going to be sneaking girls into your room, get rid of that sickly stench so as not to make it obvious. Do you choose girls who specifically marinate in perfume?" His voice was a low growl.

Kane's jaw clenched as he heard the retreating footsteps.

"I'm going too," he looked at ElJay who was already walking past him. He wasn't sure if she heard or not. He wondered if she felt jealous. Revelling in that knowledge he walked after her with a renewed swagger. Just a couple of years back she trailed after him in infatuation. He had laughed in her face at that time which made her idolize his coolness even more. He expected the same when she returned, but she seemed detached from her emotions. Now her lack of response towards him unnerved him to no end. She had just reached her car and he sped up towards her.

"Jay," he slammed the door she just opened and leant against it coolly. She scowled at him. Even in his bent posture he still towered over her. His handsome features permanently fixed in a superior stance.

He brushed a strand of hair from her face, making his touch achingly light for show," I just wanted to ask when you wanted me to gather the crew? Later tonight?"

ElJay decided to give him the benefit of the doubt," Oh I wouldn't want to disturb your whore fuckery."

He smirked in triumph just as a loud raucous sounded through the entryway and a large group of girls walked in.

"Kane," one of the younger members waved him over," you get first pick." ElJay scoffed while Kane laughed along with the rest of the group.

"That's vulgar," she commented blatantly.

"That," he pointed smugly at the group," is the benefit of a soon-to-be Yakuza leader."

"And it's not even noon," ElJay rolled her eyes glancing at her watch which read a quarter past ten.

"Later Jay," he ruffled her hair. Her hand latched onto his sleeve as he walked past. It was a reflex from the years back causing ElJay to curse inwardly.

Kane made a show of sighing in exasperation. He turned back to her and put his hands on her shoulders," Jay," he started in a reasoning voice," two years ago was just for fun, yeah? You're cute, but those girls are easy."

She stared at him in amused disbelief, biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing, although the crooked smirk unnerved him even more. A petite mixed girl sidled over to them and pressed herself against Kane possessively.

"I didn't know you liked the schoolgirl look, Kane," she spoke in fluent Japanese," could be fun to role-play. Shall we go to a Burusera shop, Sensei?" She asked sultrily.

Kane ran a hand through his messy hair. ElJay placed two fingers under his chin and led his gaze back to hers.

"Actually, I just wanted to say that I won't be coming by tonight so we'll start working tomorrow. Tell everyone for me, ok?" Her voice was chipper and she shook her head at him and opened her car door.

"Where you at tonight?" He asked casually.

"You're cute, Kane," her engine roared to life," but I need someone a little more mature."

With the last word, she hightailed past the group and out the narrow entrance, narrowly missing a few suited men.

When ElJay got to school, lunch was already over and she begrudgingly made her way to the garages.

"Well look who decided to show up at school," Mr. Arai's voice echoed brightly as she entered.

"I slept in," she offered rubbing at her eyes and making her way to the group. There was an immediate scoff and then Hiro's gaze pierced hers. The entire class turned to look at him and ElJay took this time to glare. This didn't go unnoticed by Mr. Arai who regarded the pair with curiosity. ElJay waited for Hiro to make a funny quip that would keep the questions from arising. The wait seemed torturously slow. And then finally:

"I was just wondering what you were doing last night to make you sleep in so late, Jay," he finally joked," you're cute enough, but on a weekday? Really?" The rest of the guys hooted and they all exchanged high-fives.

"Alright, that's enough. Get your minds out of the gutter," Mr. Arai reprimanded sternly.

ElJay was about to retort, but it was that word again that silenced her. She remembered what she did last night and her face flushed in embarrassment. She wondered if Han thought she was just cute.

She gave them all a crooked smile," yea, you all wish you were six years older and owned a successful car garage." That shut them all up. Suddenly they looked self-conscious.

"Is that what girls go for nowadays?"

"Isn't she talking about Han?"

"Han? Then we're screwed."

"We can't beat that."

"I heard Rin-chan talking about bringing him a personally made bento from all the girls."

"Arai-sensei, why do girls like the mature ones?"

Only Hiro remained in contemplative silence. ElJay set her bag down and sighed loudly.

"I was joking you bakas. Don't you all have work to do?" She took out her schemas and made her way to the drawing boards. She tried immersing herself in hydraulic cylinders, but the 629i was on her mind. There were doubts in her mind that she would be able to finish it alone. She wanted to live up to her father's work. Make it even better. She needed to have a high score in the Shanghai races if she wanted to officially have a place among the Yaks. To finally belong somewhere. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as she thought about how stupid she acted around Han. So childish and naïve. These thoughts meshed with the lack of sleep and ElJay rested her head on the papers as the world spun.

"So is 'sleeping in' code for hanging out with your racing gangsters?" Then there was Hiro and his sketchy personality. She cracked an eye open and glared as he set up his own drawings beside hers.

"You play the part really well. I would never guess your true personality," she countered.

"Should I move to Hollywood then?"

"The problem with acting is that your words are a lie," ElJay turned to face him. He continued tracing light strokes with his pencil.

"People lie to be happy," he quirked his head to look at her," you did that just now."

"I told you I slept in," she was quick to deny it and he noticed.

"So it was your teddy bear that made you cry?"

"I didn't cry," she should've known he would notice. That was indeed the reason for her delay. The tears didn't stop for forty minutes. Another fifty was spent trying to get rid of the puffiness. She thought she had blended the coverup well. Even if her face looked slightly paler. She unconsciously brought a hand to her eyes.

"It looks fine," he took her hand in his," you're just lucky that I'm so observant. Now tell me, is it because of that halfwit I saw you with that day?"

"It's not because of him," her eyes blazed in vehement rage.

"What did he do? Stick gum in your hair?" his voice returned to being playful as he pinched her cheeks. She pushed his arms aside and swayed slightly.

"What is it about me that makes you think I'm so innocent?" She placed a hand against the board to steady herself.

He raised an eyebrow," are you trying to say you're not a virgin?"

She challenged his gaze with a cheeky smirk," wouldn't you love to know."

It took him a few seconds to understand the underlying meaning. Before he could question her, ElJay cupped a hand around her nose her eyes wide in surprise. Hiro calmly fished into his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief. He wrapped an arm around her shaking form and pressed the soft fabric to her nose. She looked at the dark red blood on her hand in horror.

Mr. Arai walked over to them," Elliot, you should go back home. I can call Han to pick you up."

ElJay shook her head," he won't be at home, but Hiro can drive me back."

"I will gallantly carry out my duties in escorting this fair maiden home," Hiro puffed up his chest playfully, keeping an arm around her shoulder.

Mr. Arai eyed the two carefully," I excuse you from class then." He watched as Hiro got their bags and pulled ElJay towards the entrance. Their behaviour was strange, but nothing could deem it suspicious.

Once they were outside, Hiro guided her to the Carbon. She was completely limp in his arms, but fished her keys from her bag and handed them into his open hand. He helped her into the passenger seat and buckled the seatbelt.

"You know what they say about nosebleeds in Japan right?" He smirked, feeling superior as he sat in the driver's seat of her precious car. Her head lolled to the left as she eyed him with droopy eyes," what do they say?"

"You only get them when you're feeling sexually aroused," he said with dark humour.

ElJay immediately scoffed," that only happens in anime."

He smiled slightly before regarding her with a serious look," are you ok?"

She waved off his question," you don't ask a pitying question like that to a wannabe rebel."

"A wannabe rebel, huh?" Hiro fished inside his pocket producing a clinking, metal container. He casually flipped the lid open and offered her the white pills nesting in a red, silky kerchief.

"What are those?" she asked.

"A wannabe rebel doesn't wonder about those technicalities," he took a pill and pressed it to her lips," you get props for dry swallowing."

She hesitated, uncertainty evident in her grey pools.

"Fine, if not this then let me play Barbie with you." He pocketed the pills, looking at her expectantly.

"That sounds dangerous," she retorted tentatively.

He shot her an amused look as he revved the engine," you're buddies with Yakuza, Jay, I think you can handle this."

She shot him a glower, but grabbed onto her seat in surprise as he backed out sharply and with practised technique shot into the streets keeping a steady 120 km.

"Shit!" ElJay yelped as he narrowly avoided the vehicles around them.

"What?" he asked with amused ignorance," I thought you were used to this."

"Hiro! If you're going to drive _my _car—"

"It's fine, Jay," his lips curled into a subtle smirk," we have a lot to do before the night begins."

"Like what?" She asked, yawning.

"We're going on a date, Jay. You may be used to the low-class, beer chugging in the hood, but my world is on a different level, which means you have to look the part," he scrolled through his phone casually, keeping one hand on the wheel.

"What's wrong with the way I look?" ElJay asked tetchily, running a hand through her hair.

He looked completely unfazed by her clipped tone," I have a certain reputation to uphold around here," his gaze flickered to her dishevelled appearance," so if I'm going to be seen with you then you need to become someone people can envy me for."

ElJay scoffed in disbelief," I'm not your possession, Hiro. You can't change me into something I'm not."

"Sure I can," he threw his wallet onto her lap," because I have the money and there are so many places I can use it to make you aesthetically pleasing for the night."

_If only you knew…_ ElJay didn't say anything. First Kane who couldn't accept her because she was too naïve, now Hiro, who couldn't accept her until she caked her face with makeup and tamed her hair into soft curls.

He noticed her silence and rolled his eyes almost reluctantly saying," it's not just for my benefit. You feel like crap. To feel good you have to look good."

She furrowed her eyebrows," can you just decide if you want to be nice or evil? The middle doesn't really work for you."

She didn't bother checking his reaction, sensing the amusement almost instantly as he sighed," my mistake. I'll stick to evil if that's ok with you?"

She smirked, despite herself," thanks for asking."

There was a lingering silence as ElJay contemplated on what to say next.

Hiro beat her to it with a lazy smile," so…who was your first? And don't tell me it was against a wall with that half-wit I saw you with."

"Not even," her face flushed and she unconsciously crossed one leg over the other.

"You're kidding me right?" he asked incredulously, as her posture dawned understanding upon him," never?"

She stewed in angry silence refusing to answer him.

"Rape counts just so you know."

"What?!" she turned to him, her eyes wide.

He smirked," So there were attempts."

"No! Of course not!" She sputtered.

"I don't believe it."

"Are you complimenting me?" she smiled shamelessly.

"If I did, it was purely inadvertent."

She leaned back in her seat," I just never thought about it."

Hiro sensed her darkened tone, but decided not to pry.

"So what about you then?" She asked.

"Only I get to ask the questions, Jay."

"You would make up a stupid rule like that," she sighed irritably.

"Oh don't pout. You answer my questions and I'll even let you help me pick out your dress."

"There's no point if all the choices are going to be sluttier than the next."

"Jay, I'm high class, I need sexy, not slutty." After a pause," so what kinds of things have you done then?"

"Why are you so interested?" She countered.

He sighed," you don't like to follow the rules do you?"

There was no point in asking him questions.

Hiro took one hand off the wheel and stroked her hair," I just want to see how far I should go with you."

ElJay's heart skipped a beat, but she retained her composure," don't say awkward things like that."

A tall, glassy skyscraper caught her eye. The modern, minimalistic look contrasted nicely with the bustling city of Tokyo. The glass façade promised state-of-the-art facilities and impeccable hospitality unaffordable even to the upper middle class. He pulled into the circle driveway, driving around the magnificent fountain piece shooting water upwards over 73m, a perfect divide between the outside world and this newfound haven. There were limos lined up at the entrance and a group of well-dressed people were being escorted inside, but Hiro ignored all of the controlled flurry and parked next to an already waiting valet.

He got out of the car and nonchalantly threw the keys to the man and returned the bow. ElJay caught a glimpse of the crystallized lobby with a grand staircase. Hiro took her hand and led her through the automatic sliding doors. Almost immediately ElJay gasped and tightened her grip on his hand as she stared in awe at the floor. Her surprised face distorted by the rippling water beneath. The transparent tiles sported hand-painted lotuses.

"It's a water floor with a wave pool that creates the ripples at different times in the day. It's completely still in the morning emitting a serene atmosphere and more dramatic in the evening giving off a wild effect." He spoke with a nonchalant voice as if discussing the weather," people love the idea of walking on water." Contrasting the pure blue water were the golden walls polished in the deep tone of macore wood with ultramarine blue glass tiles. There were sleek, minimalist seating areas separated by dark red, silky hangings. Stunning double curved staircases and balconies with balustrades of crystal medallions and scrolled iron stood in the centre. At the base, as a dramatic centrepiece is the check-in desk surrounded by etched crystal screens and flanked by newels capped with prominent crystal finials. There was something for everyone, but the combination smoothly transitioned from piece to piece.

"This is incredible," ElJay breathed out.

"This," Hiro corrected," is my hotel." He cheekily saluted the two young women at the reception desk flashing a charming smile. They bowed their heads, but ElJay saw their giddy smiles. They encountered many employees and she observed how Hiro addressed each of them by name, slapping them on the shoulder or asking how the kids were.

"So your personality here is happy-go-lucky?" ElJay clarified.

"If I need to act that way for investors to take interest then I will. A hotel of this playful stature needs a leader that will represent it in the same manner."

"So what's your real personality then?"

He glanced over at her," that's where we're alike. You can't decide either."

There was no time to explain as he led her through a crystallized, dimly-lit corridor. Turning the corner, ElJay felt goosebumps erupt as she observed the spacious room. Birch trees lined up around the pool area creating the feeling of a Norwegian lake. Frosted glass doors tinted with tree motifs and coloured LED lighting made it hard to tell the difference between nature and the future.

"Hiro-kun, is that my new project?" ElJay was startled to feel a pair of arms encircling her and a scent of musk and lavender engulfed her senses," I can almost smell the fatigue off of her. What have you been putting this girl through?"

ElJay let out a scoff of disgust, twisting out of his grasp. She noticed his incredibly handsome face, the artfully styled red hair, spiked up in a devil-may-care attitude, the front tresses cut just past the almond-shaped eyes.

"Daisuke," Hiro greeted the young male amusedly," if I had put her through anything she wouldn't be standing right now."

"I will hang you on a tree by your balls," ElJay warned.

Daisuke let out a guffaw of laughter," See Hiro-kun, not all females can handle your foul tongue. Now stop with these foolish girls and change your orientation already." ElJay watched as he sidled up to Hiro and proceeded to bite his ear," or if you just want to experiment…"

"What could you possibly see in him?" She asked with a grin.

"Jealous?" Hiro smirked. She was about to retort, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him leaning down to whisper," or we could have a threesome."

She ripped out of his grasp instantaneously unable to utter anything, staring defiantly at the floor behind him as her heart rate sped up.

Daisuke observed the exchange curiously," is she a—"

"Virgin," Hiro finished gleefully, nodding.

"Why don't we alert the media so everyone knows!" she snapped, angrily crossing her arms.

Daisuke looked at the girl in front of him and shook his head, "unbelievable, I've never seen you with one."

"Well that'll be debatable after tonight," he winked.

"That's it," ElJay exclaimed about to head towards the exit when he grabbed her arm and shoved her towards Daisuke.

"Give her a full-body shiatsu and then a skin brightener facial, after –"

"I know how to do my job, Hiro-kun," Daisuke sighed.

"Just make sure she's ready by eight," Hiro warned. His cellphone rang at that moment. Frowning at the caller id, he looked at ElJay," I'll be back in an hour." With that, he brusquely exited leaving her wondering who was on the line.

ElJay let Daisuke take her hand and lead her across the heated tiled floors.

"There's no one else in here," she commented. Daisuke turned to look at her with a smug smirk.

"Well, we won't name names, but a certain money-obsessed asshole closed off the entire spa for the evening and left an unnecessary amount of employees just so that one girl could feel the bliss of relaxation for a few hours. Where is the profit in that?"

"That guy is so extra," she mused, sighing deeply. They walked down a candle-lit hallway, stopping in front of a frosted-glass, double-door. Dramatically, he flung the doors open. Faux suede walls, chocolate and cream interiors, and sleek furnishings greeted ElJay into the chic spa area. What stunned her the most was the row of ten employees standing on both sides of the deep red carpet. There were twenty in total and all of them for her.

"As if he thought I wouldn't be enough for you," Daisuke scoffed, but then he smiled widely with a knowing twinkle in his eyes," but then again…" he sized her up with a calculating gaze," you are capable of swaying me to bisexuality at least once."

"Well that would certainly make the threesome less awkward," she winked with a laugh. Fishing her cellphone out of her Domo bag, she turned it off without a second thought.

Back in the dimly lit corridor, Hiro leant against the wall, already bored with the diatribe he was receiving on the other line.

"Uncle, your delay makes me suspect that you're reluctant in making our arrangement happen, so from now on, I'll call the shots."

He examined his appearance in the reflection of a painting, styling a few loose strands in place.

"Don't reveal yourself to her just yet. We can't scare her away before the Shanghai circuit. I know the Yakuza have given her the 629i. Now, we wait."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Exactly how much did you spend on this girl?" Daisuke joined Hiro in one of the private relaxation rooms that had now been turned into a walk in closet. There were five long racks of clothing that barely fit into the once spacious room.

"You know this won't put a dent in my wallet," Hiro replied coolly, as he perused the dress rack with a calculating gaze.

"She's been asleep this entire time."

"Those gangsters have got her on a busy schedule," Hiro replied absent-mindedly.

There was silence, before Daisuke ventured to say what had been on his mind the whole time," has she been under the knife?"

Hiro remained silent.

"Nobody could be that perfect. She has absolutely no visible pores on any part of her body, no freckles, no blemishes; it's completely a translucent white. That's biologically impossible."

Hiro ran a hand through his hair, "I've been trying to find her background information, but the cameras can't recognize her, the DNA samplings brought up nix, her fingerprints don't exist in the system. Either her information has been completely wiped or she was never registered, and that just adds on to the intrigue. I can't find anything about her parents or the records of her buying different car parts."

Daisuke knew just how much this was bothering him. Hiro knew everything about everyone. He had a private investigator on speed dial and access to numerous DNA databases in the world (thanks to strong family ties with secret organizations all around the world). The reason he was such a good businessman was because of this ability to obtain personal information. His fascination with the girl could be understood. She is the first with whom he has to start from scratch with. Not knowing anything.

"Her records don't exist for reasons that she's not going to tell you about once you lure her into a false friendship."

Hiro only smirked, finally deciding on the dress, he tossed it to Daisuke," force her into this for me after she wakes up. I'll be back later to pick her up."

When ElJay woke up she felt completely boneless. She vaguely remembered the scented oils that were rubbed down her body and gave a contented sigh. It's been years since she felt so rested. The room was dimmed and her eyes took awhile to adjust. The walls were a deep red, the intended confidence emanating from the walls and into her. She didn't want to get up just yet. Suddenly, she remembered her turned off cell phone and sat up with a gasp. Looking around for her bag her heart skipped a beat when she saw a figure leaning against the wall.

"Were you looking for this?" he held up her phone.

"Hiro?" she asked uncertainly, hopping off the edge of the bed, she was surprised when she stumbled. She looked down to see a pair of the highest black heels she had ever seen. Next, she noticed the incredibly tight fabric around her body. It was a simple black that went mid-thigh. What made her light-headed was the floral cut out that exposed parts of her stomach all the way to the belly-button.

She had to smirk. She wouldn't have expected anything less," thanks for the prostitute garb."

She trailed off as he stepped out of the shadow. Anyone else would probably go into anaphylactic shock, but ElJay found herself finding the faults. His hair looked even more meticulously dishevelled than normal, but the uneven, layered style worked better for Han. He was wearing black, tapered jeans and a navy blue cardigan with a subtle plaid pattern over a white shirt, but she preferred the crew necks and worn out jeans. His smirk was confident, but because of Han's well-defined jaw line, it looked better on him. She suddenly wanted to see him.

Hiro noticed the lack of interest and resisted the urge to scoff. He expected this.

"Can we go now?" he asked impatiently.

"What time is it?" she asked warily.

"Ten."

There were so many things she should've been doing. Telling Han about the races coming up in just four days minus the Yakuza involvement. Fixing the engine and testing out the quirks. Writing an excuse slip for her one week absence from school. Dealing with Kane's superiority complex. Homework was at the bottom of her list as was sleeping. Still, she felt grateful to Hiro for giving her an evening of peace.

Hiro for sure thought she was going to call it off. He had prepared his look of indifference in advance. She looked uncertainly at her dress and then at him before smiling sheepishly," I've never done this sort of thing before, so you'll have to walk me through it." She walked over to him slowly and looped her arm through his.

"Unless you want me to break my face before the night begins," she reasoned with a small smile, looking sheepishly at the heels.

"Oh, is that right?" he smirked, placing his hands in his pockets and leading them out of the room.

"Judging by this attire how exactly are we getting into the club?" she asked, clutching his arm more tightly as she stumbled.

He looked down at her in amused nonchalance," Jay," he began seriously," if I wanted to, I'd let myself be listed number twenty-three on the Fortune 500 list. Come to think of it, if you wanted to, you could be number two hundred on the dot," he said thoughtfully," for people like us, age is not a limitation."

"Meaning you bought the club right?" she grinned.

"Technically it belongs to one of my men because legally I'm not old enough to be the owner of such an establishment, but you got the main gist."

They had left the spa area and ElJay was once again blown away by the sheer grandiosity of the hotel lobby. Her heels clacked loudly drawing everyone's attention. People stared openly at the couple that was making its way to the exit. Hiro looked over to see how she was coping. He was used to people eyeing him. To his surprise she didn't seem to notice the attention. Her eyes were raptly focused on the floor as she carefully placed one foot in front of the other. She caught his gaze and smiled. He found himself automatically returning the gesture. Then she stumbled, letting out a small gasp. His hand shot out to grip her shoulder.

She scowled at him," these shoes are evil."

He smirked," want me to hold your hand?"

"I can manage," she snipped, straightening up.

"Just keep that nose at a friendly level," his finger gently angled her upturned nose downward. The movement was slight, but a shiver ran down her spine which she blamed on the wind as they had now stepped outside. Hiro noticed the goosebumps and began unbuttoning his cardigan when she stopped him.

"Don't," she placed her hand on top of his, using her other arm to hug herself," I'm not cold."

He sighed in frustration," You're making this seduction thing awfully difficult."

She gave him a knowing smile and childishly stuck her tongue out at him in a manner that he found surprisingly cute. ElJay realized that her hand was still on Hiro's and quickly moved it away, covering up the action by rubbing her hands, warming them up from the cold air. He was about to give her a backwards hug when the stretch limo pulled up in front of them.

"We're not taking my car?" she inquired, slightly disappointed.

He shook his head, as the door opened automatically," being chauffeured around shows class."

Curiously, ElJay stepped inside. She settled onto a side seat of black soft leather. Running a polished hand across the wave seat, she sighed in contentment. The seating was divided into areas of three loveseats with a fully stocked, stainless steel bar in the corner. There was custom lighting available in different colours, currently emitting a blue light. Hiro climbed in, taking a seat across from her.

"You can get comfortable, it's a long ride," he told her, getting out two wine glasses from the bar. ElJay took off her heels, and stretched her feet to rest on the seat across as they started moving. Her dress rose dangerously up her thigh, but she felt too relaxed to care. She had a feeling that Hiro had picked out the underwear she was wearing so it's not as if he would be curious about the colour. Feeling inquisitive herself, she lifted the neckline of the dress and noticed a lacy, white bra. She looked at him in question only to notice his smirk as he held out a glass. She accepted and he moved to sit beside her, his free hand going around the back of the seat.

"I have a strict no sex on the first date policy," he clinked his glass to hers confidently and took a sip.

"Oh really?" she asked with an amused grin, sitting up to tuck her legs under her.

"Yeah, it makes you girls think you're special or something," he waved his hand dismissively," so just revel in being a virgin for awhile longer. When it happens, you'll be wearing red."

His fingers brought her dress down revealing the white lace and ElJay almost choked on the wine she had sipped. She jerked away from him with a glare, catching his wrist; she held it in an iron grip.

"Don't just cop a feel whenever you please. This isn't an image club," she retorted, enraged.

His eyes flashed dangerously. He couldn't figure her out. He could take any girl off the street and while they might helplessly struggle for the first while, soon they would be begging him to touch them. Yet here she was the one anomaly. She was still digging her nails into his wrist and he effortlessly ripped away from her grasp. Enough for her to feel the greater advantage in strength he had over her. It would be so easy to dominate her, but Hiro refrained.

"I sincerely apologize," he caught her hand and kissed the back of it keeping his eyes on her gray pools.

She scoffed and downed the rest of her wine.

"I know just the thing to loosen you up," he pulled out a bottle of Shochu.

"You want to get me shitfaced so you can do dirty things to me?" she guessed.

He let out a sigh and looked at her seriously," since we seem to be incapable of intimate conversation, this is the next best thing. I want to be your friend, Ellie."

"What?" she looked at him, startled.

"Is it so hard to believe that I want to be your friend?" He asked, angrily.

"It's not that," she shook her head, still in a daze. _You__called__me__Ellie._

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's just…" she trailed off, her gaze dropping to her hands," nothing. It's just nothing," she repeated more confidently giving him a smile," I want to be your friend too." _No__one__has__ever__called__me__by__a__girl__'__s__name._

She reached over him to grab the Shochu, twisting off the cap and taking a generous gulp. She felt giddy as the liquid burned down her throat leaving it partially numb. ElJay then pressed the bottle to Hiro's lips and tipped it. He drank it as if it were water, his hands calmly resting on the sides of the seat with no inclination to stop her.

She pouted," is there anything you're not good at?" Her vision was already beginning to swim. She was never good at mixing alcohol. She took one more shot for that extra kick and then closed the bottle.

"At the club tonight, be careful," Hiro told her.

She had located the remote control to the radio and turned it on, the latest dubstep blasting from the surround sound. She let out a shout of delight and began bouncing to the beat.

"I'm not worried," she screamed over the music, her head rolling back and forth," you'll be there." She patted his chest just as the car lurched to a halt abruptly sending her falling backwards. Hiro was about to catch her when her hands fisted into his cardigan and she dragged him onto her.

"I'm happy we're friends, Hiro," she said happily, her hands going around his neck and pressing him even closer.

"Christ," he breathed out, trying to put his arms out for leverage," Ellie, stop wiggling." His voice was pained as she tried matching the music, rubbing against him enticingly.

She stopped instantly," say it again," she ordered," call me Ellie again."

" Ellie?" he said in question.

She giggled," again!"

"Ellie," he grinned as she let out a happy shout.

"Ellie, Ellie, Ellie," It was the first time he'd seen her smile so freely. In awe, he traced the dimple that appeared on her left cheek. Suddenly, she looked so much like a child. Hiro got up slowly. This was their first date, but he didn't want it to be like the others. He had his own VIP lounge at the club and every girl he brought would make such a big fuss before giving him a lap dance. He turned off the music and she raised her eyebrows.

He looked uncomfortable for a second," I've made a mistake," he was surprised at his own words. It was the first time he ever felt at fault.

"So what?" her voice asked.

"Huh?" he uttered almost dumbly.

"You're in the wrong race if you think you can get away with being unflawed," the dimple was still there.

He reached over to knock on the black screen dividing them from the driver," stop here." The car stopped smoothly this time.

"Are we there?" ElJay asked.

"Change of plans," Hiro announced, getting out of the limo gracefully.

"Where are we?" She was adorably confused as she followed him looking around with wide eyes.

"Odaiba," he answered, taking off his cardigan and gesturing for her to put it on. It went jus t below the knees and he buttoned it up for her. It would have to do for now. The sleeves were significantly longer than her arms, and he rolled up the left sleeve and then took her hand. He started pulling her along, wincing as her heels clacked loudly. At that moment, dressing her up like this seemed like the biggest mistake in his life. He saw a convenience store and pulled them inside. ElJay tried to figure him out as he strode to the hygiene section. He picked up a packet of sanitary tissues and went to the cash, fishing into his pocket and slapping a 10 000 yen banknote to a surprised cashier.

"Keep the change," he told the young girl in Japanese who looked star struck either by his good looks or by the amount of money.

ElJay was shocked as she mentally did a conversion," why would you pay $130 for tissues worth two bucks?"

He smirked at her, resuming their trek," It's the lowest I carry."

"But why buy something as random as sanitary tissues?" She was perplexed by him. He was such a mystery it made her heart clench at not being able to understand. She thought he wanted people to stare and be jealous yet the dress was completely covered by the cardigan. She was ready to embarrass herself at the club, yet he took her out of the limo and was now half running towards a destination unbeknownst to her. Not to mention she was a bit tipsy and was getting blisters from the heels. She got the feeling that no one ever understood Hiro and maybe it was the alcohol, but she felt tears forming.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a tinkling bell. He had led her to a clothing store.

"Are you lost?" She asked him in surprise," You do know these aren't designer clothes, right?" She raised a hand to his forehead feeling his still cool skin," you won't find anything for one million yen here."

He looked at her in annoyance," yes, thank you. I am aware."

His eyes scanned over the clothing hangers seeming displeased with everything. Then he turned to her," what do like?" It might be the first time he had ever asked for an opinion.

ElJay furrowed her brows at him, but gave a swift look around the shop before shrugging her shoulders," I don't really know what I like." It might have been the first time someone bothered asking her opinion.

"What's your favourite style?" Hiro asked," you look like you should favour cute."

"I…" she frowned," I…I'm not sure." He looked at her sudden indecisiveness and his eyes softened. She must not have been allowed to make her own choices. You didn't get that privilege being in a notorious gang like the Yakuza. It was the opposite from him, who was used to making choices all the time.

"How about this?" He held up a pale pink dress.

ElJay touched the soft material," it looks fine."

Hiro frowned and held up another dress," what about this then?"

She sighed and scratched the bridge of her nose in a way that reminded him of a bunny rabbit," it looks fine too."

"This?" he tried again.

"Hiro, they all look good," she looked peeved.

"But. Which. One. Do. You. Like. The. Best," Hiro ground out as calmly as he could. He was also feeling peeved. How hard was it to make a simple decision?

"I. Don't. Know," she matched his tone. They stared each other down.

"Then," Hiro finally broke her gaze, taking her wrist and shoving her behind a hung curtain as a makeshift change room," try them all on." He piled hanger after hanger into her arms.

"Hiro!" she whined," I'm starving. There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing now!" He peeked at her from behind the curtain," you yourself dubbed it prostitute garb."

"I was totally joking. I don't really mind what I wear."

"Why are you being so difficult? Just try on the damn clothes," his anger was clearly evident at this point.

"Don't—" She was cut off as he tore off the cardigan ripping off three buttons in the process. He whirled her around and unzipped the dress in one quick movement.

"Okay! The rest I can manage on my own!" She pushed him out, but not before he glimpsed the milky white skin from the mirror hanging behind her. ElJay began to sift out through each piece of clothing with disdain. Her head was pounding as she hastily pulled on a short blue dress. Looking in the mirror, she made a face.

"I don't like it," she called through the curtain.

"So hurry up and try another one on," his voice was amused," try it on until you find something you like."

ElJay wasn't even thinking as she stuffed her legs into a pair of sheer tights with black polka dots on them. She was planning on telling him that this was the outfit she liked. Picking up an off white tunic dress with 3D pale pink roses, she tightened the thin, black belt and stuffing her feet in the same black heels, opened the curtain.

"This is the one," she told him.

He approached her with a sanitary tissue in hand and before she could ask began wiping her face.

"You don't need any of this," he said, gently, but firmly wiping her eyes free of the dark eyeliner and mascara.

He sighed loudly," I was…" He couldn't admit it. He didn't want to tell her he was wrong.

"Anyway," he took her by the shoulders and turned her around so that they were both looking at the mirror," you look better without it."

ElJay looked at her now slightly raw face and tried to see what he saw. She gave a small sigh, looking in the mirror at the boy who was resting his chin on her shoulder. There were so many things he didn't know.

"It's chilly tonight," he told her," so wear this." He handed her a lightweight, fur jacket. She shrugged into it. Burying her face into the fur detailing, she revelled in its softness. It was pure white. A nice change from her usual dark fashion. The hood, she noticed had bunny ears. The hem reached just above the black lining with the first row of flowers peeking out.

"Here," he handed her a pair of black, flat, knee-high boots with two black pom poms hanging from the zipper.

"And you can't go out without your domo," he handed her a backpack in the shape of her favourite character.

He snapped the various price tags off of her outfit and with a cheery be right back headed to the cashier. ElJay finished zipping the boots and observed herself in the mirror. She experimentally put the hood on. Her blonde curls reaching to her waist. She liked this look. There wasn't really any chance for her to be girly. She looked back at Hiro who was frowning at the POS machine. She heard him ask if this number was correct and stifled a laugh. Her eyes turned to the floor where the three, black buttons from his cardigan lay. She gingerly picked up the cardigan and folded it before placing it into her domo bag and pocketing the buttons.

"Well that was a new experience," his voice sounded from behind. She turned to see his eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't think I've ever paid that…little for…well anything," he scratched his head still musing over the fact. He looked almost embarrassed.

"And I don't think I've ever worn something so…cute," she picked at the hem as they walked outside.

"So now what?" He asked her," it's almost eleven and we have all of Japan as our playground. I can take you to Tokyo Disneyland or buy you a diamond necklace in Roppongi. Or we could sail to Jeju Island and relax for a few days."

ElJay smiled at all his extravagant options," well, there is something I've always wanted to do…"

Hiro was already getting his phone out, no doubt to call an airline or the Odaiba port and book last minute planes and ships.

She shook her head and gestured for him to follow her. She stopped in front of a shop across the street and turned to look at him sheepishly.

"Purikura?" he asked flatly.

She nodded her head eagerly.

"Out of all the options I gave you, you chose purikura?" he asked incredulously.

"It's just…." She stared longingly at the machines in the store. She's seen girls keep notebooks of all their purikura pictures with their friends. They were so colourful. She wanted to start a collection as well, but there were never any willing contenders. She looked at Hiro, not sure if she wanted to tell him that.

He noticed the pained grimace and just as she was about to say never mind, he took her hand and pulled her into the store. There were a lot of girls crowding together, looking at their pictures and a few couples. All heads swivelled to them as they entered. Their eyes widened as they saw a beautiful couple holding hands. ElJay tried taking her hand away, but he smirked and held on tighter. Suddenly, there was a deafening exclamation of kawaii from almost every person in the room. Hiro looked over at her and noticed that once again she wasn't paying attention to the crowd. She was looking enthusiastically at the vibrant booths placed all around the shop. Hiro didn't think she gave herself much credit.

ElJay let Hiro guide her into one of the booths.

"So, what kind of concept should we do?" he asked.

"Let's just go with whatever we feel!" She exclaimed.

She pressed her palm against her cheek and smiled sweetly at the camera. Hiro copied her action after he entered the money. There were six shots taken. She laughed when it was time to decorate them. They were all so silly. There was the cute concept of both of them smiling. One where Hiro was poking her cheek while she glared at him from her peripheral vision. One where her hood was on and Hiro was resting his head on hers and biting one of her bunny ears. One where he had taken one of her curls and placed them under his nose as a makeshift moustache. Another where he had captured her into a headlock and brought her close to muss up her hair. The last one was completely candid. After she had gotten out of his headlock she had wanted to glare, but instead ended up smiling with her teeth while he gave her one of his presumptuous smirks. Hiro let her design all the pictures. He would never admit that he had never done this either. Just like he didn't want to admit that he enjoyed himself. However, he didn't have to, because it showed in the pictures. The dimple appeared as she picked the different effects and added the different stamps. Finally, she finished and two sets of the six photos were printed. She squealed in delight as she handed one copy to Hiro and then observed her own. She looked at him happily, before her smile faltered," I didn't even ask if you wanted to design one."

Hiro nodded solemnly, shaking his head in disapproval at her.

"We can take another one?" she looked at him hesitantly.

"I'm glad you want to, because there's one more concept we haven't done," he smiled somewhat darkly at her. He slipped the money in.

"Which one?" she asked curiously. Seconds before the camera flashed, his lips were on her cheek. Her eyes went wide at the velvety feel. They were gone just as quickly.

"The lover concept," he smiled cheekily.

"Okay, you can design the whole thing," she was happy her voice didn't shake.

He looked at the picture and laughed," Wow, you have such a virginal reaction."

"No I don't!" She protested, looking at the screen in horror. Her eyes were wide as saucers and her mouth was slightly open. Hiro looked cool as usual. His eyes closed as he kissed her cheekbone, traces of a smile ghosting his jaw line. She watched as he articulately placed little pink hearts over the picture. Above their heads, he wrote their names in a surprisingly legible scrawl with the virtual pen. Then he wrote something underneath that made her look at him curiously. Ellie+Hiro…

"Friends first?" she asked him in question," have you ever even been friends first with a girl?"

"No," he said it proudly too. She waited for him to continue, but he seemed satisfied with the monosyllable.

"And then what?" she prodded as he clicked print," what's second?"

He didn't answer, handing her one photo.

"Hiro?"

He stared at her perplexedly. Most girls would get the hint by now that he didn't want to talk about it. They would hurriedly change the subject to appease him. It annoyed him how resilient she was.

"Can you answer me?" She snapped.

He sighed deeply taking her hand and leading them outside.

"I don't believe that friends first can ever work in this world," he explained as they stepped into the cool night," if the girl doesn't want to jump my bones there's no point in playing with her. Players like myself forget about friendship and go straight for the kill. Friendship is a roadblock, a nicer way of expressing a low level of attraction." He stared at her somewhat accusingly," however, there does seem to be a benefit…" he trailed off.

"Trust," ElJay said quietly.

"That's right," he nodded," we both need some of that, don't you agree?"

ElJay couldn't help but scoff," is this a new playboy technique you're trying out? You seemed pretty adamant at the beginning of the night for me to go out with you. Now, you tell me you want to be friends?"

"You seemed to like the idea in the car," he winked at her.

"I was drunk."

"Your inhibitions were lowered enough to tell me how you really feel," he corrected," Drunkenness is no excuse."

"Why me?"

_Because__you__'__re__an__enigma__I__'__m__determined__to__figure__out_.

He shrugged," why not?"

"You're being awfully vague," she crossed her arms in a defensive gesture.

"I don't have any alternative motives, Ellie. Think about it," and with that he began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"Rainbow Bridge," he called back, not turning around," it's an open invitation."

ElJay suppressed a growl of disbelief. She turned the opposite direction and marched away from him. It was the worst mistake she ever made. She walked until she saw a café across the street. Ice-cream sounded really good right about now. To her horror, leaning against a grey Corvette on the side of the street was Kane. His cronies gathered around him, talking loudly. ElJay didn't think they'd seen her yet, so she put her hood up and was fully intent on crossing the street.

"Now don't think I can't see you, Jay," she cringed at his voice. A drunken Kane was never a good thing. She remembered that much from two years ago.

"How did you find me?" She asked in annoyance.

"I can track you by your phone," he said, simply," Plus," he walked towards her and pulled roughly on a curl," this blonde hair stands out." As if it were a leash, he gathered a fistful of hair and pulled her after him.

"Kane!" She said, sharply with gritted teeth," let go." She pushed him forcefully on the shoulder.

"Calm down," he said, nonchalantly, letting go once they reached his car," we just came to see the mature guy this little girl managed to snag," he looked over her shoulder mockingly," but it seems he was just a figment of her overactive imagination."

"I'm meeting him soon," she snapped impulsively.

"Oh really?" he asked in mock interest, grabbing onto her arm firmly and pulling her flush against him. His hand snaked under her chin and he held her in place while leering close," well, enjoy him while you can, because we all know what's going to happen very soon." The entire group laughed," but don't have too much fun. Leave the dirty stuff to an experienced man."

Something in ElJay snapped. It was that feeling of being caged. She started beating on his chest furiously," don't talk to me like that! I hate you! Leave me alone!"

This only made the group laugh louder. He had let her go, his hands held in surrender, but she continued to beat him.

"Well what do you know…" he said amusedly," she'll be an angry, little fuck."

ElJay let out a frustrated yell. In one movement, he had her wrists clasped in both hands.

"How many rounds do you think we can do before you pass out?" he asked her with a smirk, pushing her away so forcefully, that she stumbled and fell to the ground. She scrambled to her feet and began walking away with as much dignity as she could muster. She felt defeated. As soon as she heard the cars drive away, she broke into a run. It was too embarrassing. It was inevitable and there was nothing she could do about it. This was the reason why she came to Japan. She didn't stop running until she reached Rainbow Bridge. She saw Hiro leaning on the rails just beside the enormous suspension bridge staring at the panoramic view.

She resolvedly walked towards him and placed her hands on the railing, staring at the bright lights.

"So, have you decided?" he asked.

"You were wrong," she didn't face him just yet," when you implied that I wasn't attracted to you."

"How couldn't you be?" he asked, conceitedly.

"At this point, how far do you think you could go with me, Hiro?" She asked, brazenly.

He remembered the conversation they had on the way to the spa.

He thought for a moment," We're just brushing first base."

What if I said I wanted you to go all the way?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

His cell phone rang at that moment and Eljay let out a sigh of relief. Hiro gave her a calculating glance before glancing at the caller id. His eyes widened and he stared at the screen in disbelief before answering and starting to talk in Spanish. He turned away from her so she could only catch snippets of the fluidity of his accent as he let out a string of rapid words. Staring in awe at his turned back, she felt her own phone vibrate indicating a text message.

_Home now. We need to talk. _

Her heart begun skipping wildly when she noticed the sender was Han.

_40 mins^^ _

She replied back and grinned widely to herself.

"What are you so happy about?" She glanced up at Hiro who was stuffing his phone into his pocket and looking spaced out.

"You can speak Spanish?" she countered.

"Let's just say that my parents preferred me to be an ocean away from them at all times," he replied," I have to leave."

ElJay nodded in understanding.

"And here is my ride," he gestured to the limo pulling up the sidewalk," I sent a text to my hotel and asked them to bring your car here asap as well. It should be here soon." His voice sounded detached.

"Are you ok, Hiro?" She asked, as his hand ran through his hair for the umpteenth time.

He nodded slightly," I won't be in school tomorrow." He gave her a last wave before getting into the limo. She heard him say," To the airport" before the door shut and he drove away. ElJay wondered what the person on the phone could've said to Hiro to shake him up like that. Another message alerted her to her phone.

_20 and you bring the pocky. _

She smiled involuntarily.

Twenty minutes later on the dot she was entering the garage with the convenience store bag in hand. Han, who was rummaging in the fridge turned at the sound. He examined his watch and gave her an approving smile. She walked over to him and pushed the bag into his chest with a rough," here." She stared at him expectantly. He raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in attire.

"Were you on a date?" he asked, ripping open the bag and biting into the strawberry flavoured stick.

"No," she answered too quickly earning a laugh from him," is that the leather jacket I gave you?"

He nodded," It fits me well."

She remembered the day she got it. She was looking for a perfect birthday present and somehow this jacket contained the air of badassery needed for her to spend her money on someone else for the first time. All her funds went into cars, but the first year she lived with Han, she had to give him something special.

"Where is everyone?"

He shrugged," Prolly at the club next door." ElJay just now heard the booming music through the walls. Han examined his reflection in the glass cabinets above.

ElJay laughed as she decided to voice what had been on her mind ever since she came back," by the way, dude, what's with the middle part huh? It makes you look so old." She stood on her tiptoes and ran a finger through his hair, making a side part. He took out a pocky stick and fed it to her. She straightened out the stray hairs as the strawberry flavouring dissolved on her tongue and nodded appreciatively," that's much better." He nodded in agreement, checking his reflection once again.

"How come you aren't at the club too?" she asked. He leant against the counters and stared at the ceiling.

"I'll get there," he responded coolly.

She stole a pocky stick from him," is this the part where we talk about the kiss?"

"What about it?"

She cocked her head to the side and observed him, "I'm waiting to hear your spiel about it being a mistake."

"It wasn't," his gaze focused on her and she felt a shiver run down her back when he said," I'd do it again."

"But…?" ElJay tried keeping the frustration out of her tone. This was not the time to be so damn vague.

"But you want it to mean something and that's a problem for me."

She waited for him to continue with a neutral expression.

"I kissed you because I was curious as to how you would respond. You're clueless, Jay. You don't know anything except your cars. The only time you talk to people is when you're acquiring car parts or advising us on our car problems. I was the first person you learned to trust again so it was only a matter of time before your hormones deluded you into thinking you like me. I treat you differently, that's true, but it doesn't mean what you want it to. Commitment is not how I roll. Not with a sixteen year old who's too consumed by cars and too blinded by trust to see how bad of a person I really am."

ElJay gave a small, resigned smile and met his gaze squarely," you're probably right. I guess if a woman took me in I'd most likely be a lesbian right now. It could've been anyone; I see what you're saying…" She stared thoughtfully at him.

Han was slightly taken aback by this acceptance. This was the longest conversation they had since she came back and he had insulted her with every word. He waited for her to say more, but she stayed silent.

"That's it?" he finally ventured.

"Mm," she affirmed.

"No rebuttal?"

"None."

"It doesn't bother you that I kissed you just because?"

"Your 'just because' is fucking complicated, Han, but I get it. Every time we talk, it's about cars; every time we fight it's about cars. I guess you wanted to expand my horizons and do something that had nothing to do with them." ElJay turned to face straight ahead and observed her Carbon standing five metres away," that whole night I didn't think of anything but you so I guess you succeeded in thwarting my obsession for 6 hours." She closed her eyes, reminding herself that he didn't know the whole story about her. If he did, he would not be saying this.

"Nothing changes, Jay."

She turned to look at him halfway," just friends, Han. I get it."

"For you, there's someone better than me," his gaze held a hint of tenderness as he placed a hand on her shoulder," from now you're no longer obligated to race for me. I won't call you anymore. You can stay out as late as you want. Hang out with your friends. Do your homework. Find that balance between cars and everything else."

"So you're not going to care about me anymore."

"I always will, but I'm not your parent, Jay. You're fully responsible for your own life. You don't have to be bound by curfews or rules. Plus, racers have figured out there's no chance winning you so I've stopped getting requests," he smiled wryly at her which she returned.

"So I'm free to go wild?" ElJay clarified amusedly.

"I encourage it," Han nodded, "You can call me at 3am and I'll proudly pick you up from the police station. That part of our friendship doesn't change."

ElJay nodded distractedly. It didn't even matter what he said anymore. She would be moving out of here and to the Yaks in the near future. It wasn't a choice, but an obligation.

"Are we still going to the mountains?" She asked, somewhat hesitantly. Now it felt awkward after everything he said to her. He noticed this and wrapped an arm around her head, gently hugging her to his chest.

"Hey, you can still trust me. Just don't love me. We'll go soon."

ElJay stared at the fraying material of his gray shirt. She considered how he felt. He had taken care of her since she was eleven. She had observed his interactions with the people in his garage. He never said anything extra. Never expanded on his thoughts. Everyone was always left wondering what he was thinking. His maturity equated to his coolness. Yet, sometimes he would open up to her. Let her see feelings that were not part of his cool façade. They had reached a full understanding. That's why, as he stood here telling her they were just friends and feeding her a vague, not well-thought out explanation, she knew there was more to it. If she allowed herself to read into it, she would almost think that he was scared. He was checking himself to make sure he didn't feel any different when he kissed her. It gave her a sliver of hope at the moment, but that was now diminished. She knew Han wouldn't change for her. Everyone always had to adapt to him, not the other way.

"Come join us at the club," Han guided her to the backdoor.

Maybe he felt weird because of the age difference. It was only six years, but she knew he had at least thirty years worth of life experience on her. Her experiences were all about cars. She was by no means well-rounded. Still, as the booming music got louder, ElJay shied away from him and the door. She didn't want to be squished amidst grinding people while watching him buy drinks for girls.

"I'll pass," she stared uncomfortably at him," I…" she was unsure if she should proceed," want to wash my car." Her gaze averted to the floor as he stared at her somewhat disappointedly.

"Don't you think your car got enough attention from you these past two years? This is your problem, Jay. You treat those machines as if they're more important than the people around you." He leant against the doorway, placing his hands in his pockets.

"It took two years, but I made the perfect car," she justified," I designed my car in a way where I could change the steering wheel position from left to right. When I was in the US, I drove on the left side, but here I had to get used to the right again." ElJay wondered if she was rambling," actually, I had a lot of safety concerns from every garage I visited because of the steering and suspension systems. Originally, I had placed the wheel on the left side so in order to create versatility on the right I had to watch out for wires linking the steering box to the centre link of the suspension that connects to the wheels. Then I had to make sure that the ride would still remain smooth, no road noise and minimal bumps that kind of thing. If one thing went wrong in those connections, entire control of the car would be lost so I spent the longest time on the steering wheel—"

"Yea ok," he interrupted her," you're a genius. I get it. If I had an engine and window wipers then would you listen to me?"

"So if I stop talking about cars then could you like me back?" she opposed.

He didn't respond.

She gave a satisfied nod," clearly it's not as easy as that."

"I just want you to look up from your world of telemetry and horsepower and really see the world around you."

"Is it really the world you want me to see," her eyes intensely captured his," or is it just you?"

Han shifted in the doorway, a gesture that seemed relaxed, but to ElJay it was a nervous tick. It was the first time she had put him on the spot.

"Last week," he suddenly spoke," Thursday. You didn't pick up your phone the whole day. What were you doing?"

She had assumed that he didn't notice. Last Thursday was…

"I guess we both have things better left unsaid." He pushed the door behind him open," I'm going away for a few days."

He was walking away from her, taking slow steps backwards as if expecting her to say something.

"Yo Han," Her eyes shifted and he craned his head to acknowledge Twinky who stumbled around the cemented corner behind him," some chicks from Brazil just walked in. Wanna help entertain? I dunno if I could handle all four of em."

Han waved a hand dismissively, his gaze focusing on something behind ElJay's head," handle it yourself, Twink."

"Nah bro, I get it. You goin to Spain and all, but this might be your last night as a free man so –"

"Not interested, Twink," Han interrupted him, clearly annoyed as he turned to stare at the younger man.

"I'm sure Gis—"

"Twinky," Han cut him off abruptly, letting go of the door and walking over to him. The door shut just as ElJay saw Han pushing him back down the hallway. There was a stumble and a string of curse words successfully dulled by the music. ElJay found herself unconsciously moving closer to the door.

"Now go be a man and buy those nice girls some drinks." She heard Han say.

"Aigh bro, no regrets," there was a shuffling and then a," your loss" that sounded farther away.

She could almost see him hesitating through the door. Although she didn't understand everything, she got the gist. The thought never occurred to her that he could be interested in any woman beyond the sex she offered. Hell, he was probably having a hard time grasping the concept himself. ElJay was used to being his centre of attention. Now there was someone else and he hadn't planned on telling her. He was probably deciding how to play it out. So she waited with him.

Finally, the door opened and he stepped out shrugging out of the leather jacket. He draped the large material over her thin shoulders, pressing the lapels together and trapping her with his grip.

"Right," she gave him a small smile," because Spain is hot, so you won't need it."

"I'll be back."

"I might not be here."

His hands loosened until they slipped off the material and rested at his sides.

"Thanks for telling me in person this time."

ElJay didn't watch him walk away. Her eyes burned and her gaze was unfocused as she bit her lip to prevent herself from calling him back. Right then she knew it was a mistake coming back to him. She thought back to the first time they met. If only her child-like self hadn't accepted his offer to go with him. She understood what she had been thinking when she got into his car. That maybe if she was good enough someone could finally show her the love she was starved of ever since she was left alone. She noticed his interest in cars and decided that she would become the best, most knowledgeable person about them so they would always have something to talk about. Maybe she had tried too hard with that topic. ElJay wondered if it was too late to become a lesbian. Maybe he would like discussing that one better. She smiled to herself, before picking up her bag and trudging upstairs to sleep.

"Gisele." He hadn't bothered renting a luxury car from the airport. He was in such a muddled rush; he took a six year old Ford Fiesta and floored it all the four hours to the luxury villa overlooking the Santillana reservoir. The house was crowded with immediate family members, all shouting out in Spanish and carrying out trays and trays of food.

The woman turned to him, her long hair swishing a familiar scent of bergamot and freshly laundered clothes. Her tense eyes softened and a grateful smile appeared," thank you for being here." Her English became even more accented as she swallowed the painful lump in her throat.

"I'm so sorry about your grandfather." He wanted to hug her. She was a woman who stirred a peculiar feeling in him. He wanted to protect her. He was about to make the move when her eyes flickered to the front door behind him.

"Is your Uncle here?"

His jaw clenched at the missed chance," he said he would fly in tomorrow in time for the funeral."

She nodded resolvedly.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

She shook her head no and then squeezed his shoulder," you being here is help enough."

"You look great," he commented with a confident smile.

She laughed lightly," that's what I like about you. You never tell me the truth." She gently grabbed onto his forearm and pulled him closer as several of people pushed by with trays of food.

"So I'm sorry we had to meet again under such morbid circumstances," he gently cleared his throat at their sudden proximity. Gisele smiled warmly at him," trouble always seems to throw us together. Trouble that you always save me from."

Her words sent his heart pounding. He was about to hug her when her expression suddenly changed. Her entire face lit up and he felt his hand reach out to grab hold of her before she ran away. However, he was too slow. With a small cry she flew across the room and into the arms of another man.

"Gisele, it's been awhile," he said into her hair.

At that moment, more than ever, Hiro really hated Han.

ElJay stood still as Yabuki-sensei gently prodded her exposed back.

"It's not hurting you is it? It's been a week so it should be fully healed now."

ElJay craned her neck to look at the kind-faced woman with the stylish bob," it's been great. I can walk into the bath now without having to cringe at the scars."

The doctor nodded in approval," yes the laser did a flawless job. Better than I expected. Although it's Fujiwara-sensei that we have to thank. You're going to visit him soon right?"

ElJay nodded grimly," yes, I'm waiting for the call any day now."

Yabuki-sensei sensed the hint of scorn in the girl's voice. She really pitied her. Yabuki-sensei had been with her since she was eleven. The elder woman didn't think she knew anyone more broken than the scar-free girl standing in front of her.

Kane wiped his oiled hands on his torn jeans and watched as ElJay worked efficiently in unscrewing the power steering pump, they just had to drain any excess liquid before using the engine hoist to remove the current engine and put in the new one. They had worked throughout the whole day and it was well past midnight. Her hands were unrecognisable, littered with dried blood from scratches and oil.

"Jay, let me do this," he tried moving her aside, but she shot him a glare so vicious that he backed away.

"It's fine," the words came out strongly. They were the first words she had spoken to him for the whole day. The other members of their crew looked at each other uncomfortably. They had sensed the tense atmosphere between the teens as soon as they started work. ElJay attached the chain hoists and then left the men to raise the engine. The cool water under the sink felt good. Tears of frustration and tiredness built on her waterline and she gave a shaky sigh, scrubbing furiously at the stained hands.

Sometime during the day she had gotten bored. She was affiliated with the Yakuza since childhood because of her parents, but she became bound right after their death. The expectations for her were clearly listed after their funeral. They gave her the freedom of honing her knowledge about cars and even funded her expensive venture around the world building a custom machine that would in return bring money for the Yaks. They had seen the potential in her, but ElJay was far too young and far too fascinated by cars to notice that she was merely a tool to them. Now she understood how pointless her life had become. She didn't want to join their ranks. She didn't want to race in the Shanghai circuit. It was only going to get more suffocating. She was a teenager with far too much money. The inheritance her parents left her was huge, but she could only access it when she turned twenty. The rest was the hefty sum she had accumulated during races and drug heists.

"Let's finish for today," she instructed as the 629i was lowered into the open hood. She went over to her domo bag to check her phone and was surprised to find one from Han, sent three hours ago.

_You better be sleeping at home._

She smiled inwardly.

_You're not there so I have no reason to. _

She quickly typed it out and hit send before she could overanalyze its cheesiness. Madrid was eight hours behind Tokyo, so it was around 5pm. The reply came seconds later.

_Cute._

This time her entire face lit up for everyone to see and she kept her lips pursed to prevent herself from giggling as she typed out her response.

_What are you doing?_

"Jay, your room is prepared for you," Kane said from a distance.

ElJay ignored him and gingerly placed her bag over her shoulders. Gripping her phone tightly, she made her way to the stairs glad that he was talking to her.

"You can take the morning off today. Let's meet here at three. Thank you for your help," she addressed the group with a slight bow which they returned. She saw her phone light up and looked at the screen while climbing the stairs.

_Chilling. You? _

"Jay, wait."

ElJay sighed in annoyance and continued making her way out the front door. There were lots of Yakuza members loitering outside despite the late hour. They continued to intimidate her, but she kept her face impassive. All she wanted to do was chat with Han.

_Ditto. I can't sleep._

"Where are you going?" A hand clamped on her shoulder.

"Home. I'm going home, Kane," she told him, curtly.

"You're walking?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I'm running," she deadpanned, turning to face him.

"Just stay here for the night."

"I'd rather not."

She ripped out of his hold and continued walking.

"I'm sorry about what I said yesterday," he called," but you should start reprioritizing your life."

Instead of him, she focused on her phone.

_Count sheep then. Or go into my room and find the Green Tea Sticks. _

His reply sent a calming effect to her tense form as she walked away from the Yakuza. The green tea sticks were her comfort food. She liked how he remembered.

_When are you coming home?_ She hit backspace furiously. That sounded too clingy.

She began the forty minute trek to the garage. A track she could've easily accomplished in ten minutes with her car. She wondered why she started caring about the text messages she sent to Han, who was the only person she could trust in her life. Her screen lit up again.

_There's something that we have to talk about when I get back. _

ElJay frowned slightly. _Like what?_

_Sleep tight, Jay._

She resisted the urge to pout. How infuriating.

"You bought your ticket to Shanghai right?"

Hiro tore his gaze away from the window he was staring out of and smirked," First class, Uncle." The older man checked his phone before giving his nephew a quick nod.

"You can go back to Japan now," it was said nicely, but Hiro noted the threatening undertone. He nodded slowly at the same time his eyes flickered to Gisele bustling in the next room.

"Go find someone your own age," his Uncle smirked at him knowingly," leave her for the big boys."

Hiro didn't like the way he was talking about her. He scoffed lightly and made his way past the older man when he felt a hand latch painfully onto his shoulder.

"Be careful of what you find out about her."

It took Hiro a moment to realize he was talking about ElJay.

"You think your skeletons are bad? Hers are more mangled, far more gruesome than anything you've ever known."

He whirled around to face him," what do you know?"

His Uncle grimaced slightly and Hiro did a double-take unused to seeing such a blatant show of feeling," I know that if I ever went through something like that I wouldn't hesitate to end it. Her pain exceeds the resources available for coping and yet she still walks around."

Hiro tried remembering any hint of depression in their conversations. He came up with a blank. She didn't appear broken at all from the outside.

"Just get me her car." His Uncle moved past him and into the next room," and forget about her," he shot a pointed look Gisele's way. Hiro leaned against the doorway and observed said woman's gaunt face. She was sitting on the couch staring down at her lap. The pain was so obviously expressed through her posture and face. Hiro crossed his arms over his chest. People were going up to her and patting her on the shoulder or hugging her altogether. She was surrounded.

_I don't think I've ever worn something so cute_

What could possibly have happened to her?

_Hiro! If you're going to drive my car…_

He liked the way she had exclaimed his name.

_Well, there is something I've always wanted to do…_

He remembered wondering how she could've never done Purikura despite living in Japan. The answer seemed so clear now. She was alone. Yet, she never acted like it bothered her. He watched Han walk over to Gisele who began to freely cry into his chest. Did Jay feel like crying all the time?

Hiro's eyes met Han's. Without a second thought, his feet were carrying him out the front door and towards the acceleration pedal of the Ford. With his phone pressed to one ear, Hiro floored his way out of the circular driveway anxiously waiting for the voice. He was being irrational. She shouldn't matter to him. He shouldn't be worried. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as a robotic voice informed him that the line was busy.

AN: Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry! TT You know I`m always railing at my favorite authors for not posting in years when lo and behold I go and do the same :( I hope you guys enjoyed this. I know you want more Han. I will provide!

Love,

E^^


	8. Chapter 8

When ElJay woke up the next morning she heard a bustle of activity downstairs. The green tea flavouring from yesterday's post-midnight snack still tasted sweet in her mouth and she was about to head for the bathroom when she heard a familiar voice.

"Should I go wake her up for you?"

"Please, we have a busy schedule today."

ElJay jolted up in bed. What was Arai-sensei doing here? At six in the morning too? Hastily, she threw off her covers and rushed to peer off the railing.

"Sensei?" she called. All twenty-four heads of her mechanics class turned up to look at her. She searched bewildered for her teacher finally finding him accepting a cup of tea from Neela.

"Elliot," he nodded his head in greeting," we knew you'd forget about the autoshow so by a majority rules vote we came to pick you up."

"And by majority he means 24-0," Takuya piped up, his hand rummaging in a bag of chips Neela had just passed out. ElJay noticed they were all wearing street clothes.

"It's not going to take you hours to get ready is it?" Yoshio asked.

"Oi! It's fine if she wants to look nice," Satoshi punched him in the shoulder.

"Yea man, stop being so stingy."

"We got a shitload of time bro." Arguments suddenly broke out amongst the group.

"Fuck you, I was saying that she already looks nice," Yoshio pushed some guys in annoyance.

"Yoshio, as I recall, it was you who told me to stand on a street corner the first day we met," ElJay spoke up sternly, only the playfulness in her eyes giving away her joke. They all had the decency to look ashamed. In freakish synchronization they bowed 90 degrees and began chanting 'we were wrong'. Only one person remained standing and ElJay wondered how she missed him standing in the middle of the group with his hands in the pockets of fitted, black jeans.

"So you better get ready, Jay," his cool voice sliced through the air. Their eyes locked. She was dressed in loose sweat pants and a baggy, ratty t-shirt with her hair sticking up in all directions. He remembered how she looked horrified at the sight of twenty-five guys in the spacious garage and how she had hurriedly checked her outfit no doubt to make sure she wasn't exposing anything she shouldn't have been. He scoffed, despite finding the action cute. Hiro noticed the corners of her lips wavering. _Just smile if you want to._

Takuya snorted loudly, wrapping a friendly arm around Hiro's shoulder and practically mauling him over," it was this guy's suggestion actually."

Hiro laughed lightly, pushing past his arm and looking up. She had turned her back to them, but he saw her shoulders shaking slightly even though she covered it up by stretching.

"I'll be ten minutes," she told the door in front of her, before rushing through it.

"No uniform!" Everyone called out after her.

Mr. Arai looked around, taking a tentative sip of his tea, he turned to Neela," how is she feeling?"

"Honestly, she keeps to herself mostly," she answered, eyeing him somewhat worriedly from across the table," she comes home late at night and we rarely see her in the mornings."

"How long have you known her for?"

"It's been about a couple of months since she came back. It's Han that knew her first. He never spoke about her directly, but the people who have been in this garage for awhile have told us that one day he came home with this little girl sitting in the passenger seat and they were inseparable ever since."

"Sounds like she really trusts him. What does Han have to say about her behaviour?"

Neela cringed ever so slightly," They haven't outwardly shown it, but everyone can tell there are unresolved arguments between them. She disappeared on him for two years; I think Han can't forgive that yet."

Mr. Arai looked at her in surprise," why did she disappear?"

"To build that car of hers," Neela sighed.

"And where are her parents in all of this?"

Neela looked around to make sure no one was in hearing distance. Mr. Arai looked hesitant," I'm sorry if my questions—"

"No," she cut him off," It's ok. She's never talked about her past. If Han knows something he's never let on, but he's been looking after her since she was 11. She's never gave us reason to believe she was in pain. I've never seen her crying, she's just indifferent all the time. I don't know how someone can live like that."

Hiro loitered near the other guys near the half-made cars his attention half-tuned in to Neela's words. He saw ElJay appear at the top of the stairs. She was wearing black skinny jeans with artful lace cut-outs and a loose, white pullover. She had exchanged her domo bag for a black leather messenger bag.

He watched as Satoshi walked over to her with a smile and asked if she had enough time to get ready. Satoshi was alright. He was friendly to everybody and their homeroom representative. In Hiro's opinion he was humble looking and quite simple when it came to style, but he was confident enough that it didn't lower his self-esteem.

Takuya also bounded over to them, ruffling ElJay's hair," No car at that show is gunna be as badass as yours." He gave her his signature eye smile. Takuya was alright too. He was always happy and could make even hardass Yoshio laugh. Lastly, his eyes trailed over to Yoshio who kind of lingered awkwardly to the side of the trio with a slight scowl. That guy assumed he had it all figured out, but Hiro knew that his blatant speech was all just a defense mechanism. He watched as ElJay walked over to him and poked him in the cheek.

"No hard feelings," he heard her say," so smile."

" I should say the same for you," he snapped, glaring at her.

Takuya's hands clamped down firmly on his shoulders and began massaging," Don't mind him, Jay. This guy sleeps on a bed of nails so he wakes up on all the wrong sides every day."

"Don't touch me bro."

"Well someone's got to. You're not getting any anytime soon."

"What did you say, fucker?"

"I said I love you."

ElJay exchanged amused glances with Satoshi.

Everyone had begun to head for the door. ElJay searched for Hiro, finally finding him walking with a group behind them. He met her gaze briefly, raising his eyebrows comically before turning to talk to the person next to him. ElJay frowned.

"Jay? I asked if you slept well."

She turned to Satoshi. _No. _

"Yea, not bad."

"We're free after 12. You wanna go get ramen and head to the arcade?" Takuya asked, excitedly.

"Don't be such a simpleton with your ramen," Yoshio snapped," You should offer her something of substance."

They headed towards the subway. It was still early enough to beat the morning craze.

"I don't mind," she reassured them, shivering slightly as a cool wind played with her hair. Before she could even think about being cold, a warm fabric was placed around her neck.

Hiro saw Satoshi make the move to take his jacket off and for some reason the thought of his cheap material on her skin irked him to no end. In a fluid motion he had slid off his deep red, Italian made, wool scarf. His steps getting faster as Satoshi managed to get an arm out. He slung it around her neck, wrapping it around a few times.

"Thank you," ElJay breathed in the material. It smelled musky with that hint of new car interior that she loved.

"No problem," Hiro flicked her nose, smiling as she scrunched up her face in protest. He slowed down then, giving her a two finger salute and waiting for the guys behind to catch up before engaging in animated conversation.

"….hard to believe."

"Pretty boy's preserved well."

"Yea, he looks so freaking young for his age."

ElJay looked away from Hiro in mid-smile as a hand gripped her arm and when she looked back she saw the stairwell descending to the subway and Satoshi's worried gaze.

She then caught onto the last bits of conversation," what do you mean?"

"He's twenty years old," Satoshi kindly supplied.

"What?" In awe, she snuck a look behind her. He was in the centre as he always seemed to be, while the guys around him talked at the same time in loud raucous voices. His facial expressions became amplified as he too supplied his own quip to which immature laughter ensued. Some then proceeded to push him lightly daring him to fall off to which he played along, executing a pseudo fall and jumping down the remaining stairs at the last second.

"But I always thought he was our age."

"You and me both," Takuya nodded.

"Why he's wasting his time with us is just plain stupid if you ask me," Yoshio grumbled as they swiped their passes and entered through the turnstiles.

"We don't know his history," Satoshi spoke diplomatically," he's very open, but when asking anyone, they don't know much about him."

They got onto the subway. Some younger boys loitered around the few remaining free seats. Yoshio zeroed in on them taking a menacing step towards them, his impressive height scaring them off. He pushed ElJay not unkindly into the seat and dropped heavily beside her, propping a leg up and crossing his arms over his chest. Satoshi sat delicately on her left while Takuya remained standing, the crook of his shoulder supported by the metal pole.

"I heard you gave in your project early."

It took her a minute to understand Satoshi's words.

"Oh yea," she smiled brightly, fishing into her bag and pulling out a neat notebook. The three boys crowded around her as she flipped through the pages filled with clean-lined drawings and Japanese explanations off to the side. Satoshi stared admirably at them, about to ask a few questions. ElJay herself was about to start explaining it when Yoshio snatched her pencil and drew a tic-tac-toe board on her paper. He efficiently drew a cartoon totoro in the centre and offered it back," I'm bored."

She stared at him in horror. The concept drawing that she worked so hard to perfect was now distorted by the rough scratches of a kid's game and something that looked like a cat with rabbit ears. An eraser wouldn't be able to get past the deep lines. If it were any other notebook, but this one was filled with designs that weren't created in a day. However, Yoshio's frown stopped her from saying anything. Hesitantly, she took the pencil and drew a stick figure.

Takuya laughed," What Ghibli character is that?"

"I don't really know how to draw cartoons," ElJay sheepishly met the eyes of all three boys.

Yoshio took her notebook, flipping the page before setting to work. The other two took out their own pencils as well. ElJay watched him expertly draw anime characters. He drew three boys, a sleek black car with a girl inside. He handed the notebook to Takuya who drew the continuation. They alternated again and it was finally ElJay's turn. She looked at the variety of their skill before focusing on the storyline. So far it involved the sleek sports car with the driver's long hair billowing towards a scrunched face Takuya, who was holding onto the bumper and being pulled 130 km/hr, Yoshio in a black suit and shades holding a massive shotgun in mid-step running after the car, and Satoshi animatedly grabbing onto the shoulder of the suited man. Off to the side there was a dragon chasing after them.

"A drug run of epic proportions?" she asked.

"I only know how to draw dragons really well," Takuya mumbled sheepishly.

They laughed at that. Yoshio poked her head with the back of the pencil as they offered more suggestions on what she could draw. She playfully glared at him. Takuya sat on Satoshi's lap and they both started adding to the comic strip. ElJay laughed as some of the adults in the subway looked at them disconcertedly.

"I think you're living a Yaoi fantasy for most girls in this subway car," she pointed out the girls who were not so subtly sneaking peaks at the two boys beside her. Takuya demonstratively whispered something in Satoshi's ear to which the latter exaggeratedly licked his lips. ElJay leaned into Yoshio for support as they all burst into laughter.

The subway ride passed like that. ElJay thought her stick figures ruined their comic strip, but the boys assured her it added character. Her flawless notebook was looking a little worse for wear by the time they entered the huge dome where the autoshow was being held. Still, she found that she didn't mind too much. The place was overcrowded with cars and students alike. ElJay was pleased to note that Volkswagen and BMW as well as some other notable international brands made their appearance in an otherwise Japan-focused autoshow.

"Did they decide to expand their horizons?" she asked Arai-sensei.

"First year," he affirmed," it's been fifty years since the first show so they decided to do something noteworthy."

ElJay observed the timeline on the wall. Cars with sleek side-vents and assertive front grills showcased the 60s era moving towards bug-shaped coupes, muscle cars, all-wheel drive sports cars and finally towards the glossy hoods and monstrous engines of today. She couldn't contain her excitement and let out a shaky breath. The centre of the room featured a concept car designed by a student.

"Each year, committee members pick out from thousands of designs and select one individual who shows the most promise," Arai-sensei told her," that person is then offered an opportunity to go to Germany for a two-year program and work with the most-renowned auto producers of this time to hone their skills even further. A lot of great opportunities can come out of this."

ElJay's eyes lit up," wow." She looked back at the design. It was definitely well done. A gun-metal colour, this two door coupe exuded performance. It combined speed, luxury, and power very well. It looked refreshing. She wanted to meet the person who created this.

"What would you have done if you won something like this?" Arai-sensei asked, seeing her eyes glaze over.

"Me?" she looked surprised that he even suggested it. Turning back to the concept she smiled thinking about it," I'd brush up on my German."

"I do believe that's the creator over there," Arai-sensei gestured for her to look. ElJay saw a girl with a neat, black ponytail and an authoritative aura talking to representatives from various companies. She seemed to be keenly explaining her design and they were nodding their heads appreciatively. Her gestures, facial expressions, her stylish trench coat exuded a confidence that ElJay envied. She was the kind of person that you knew would go far just by taking one look. She spoke English with an accent, but smoothly enough and with capturing words that it didn't matter. After she finished she shook hands with each representative.

"Let's go say hi," Arai-sensei gently guided the suddenly stiff girl.

"I don't think that's a good idea," ElJay asserted, digging her feet to the ground.

By that time, the girl looked over and recognition flashed in her eyes. She cocked her head to one side before walking up to ElJay herself.

"Congratulations," ElJay told her robotically, at a loss for words. She felt another presence and saw Hiro come to stand beside her.

"So you're the one," she commented not looking too impressed.

"Excuse me?" ElJay asked.

"I'm Akira," she stuck out her hand which ElJay shook.

"I'm Ell—"

"I know," Akira interrupted," I know my rivals."

"I think you're mis—"

"Follow me," once again she didn't let her finish. ElJay looked uncertainly at Arai-sensei who seemed to be grinning and Hiro who shrugged coolly. Akira led her to a glass office a little ways to the right.

"Well go on," she gestured to the door handle," you were just too good for them to showcase." ElJay stared numbly back at her. Getting annoyed, Akira opened the door and shoved her inside. Regaining her footing, she saw a man in his late thirties looking intently at an image projected on a screen. It was hers ElJay suddenly realized. Fear coupled with excitement shuddered through her. It was even more enhanced when she saw folders with the Aston Martin logo sitting in front of him.

"It sure was difficult keeping this to myself," he suddenly spoke with a British accent.

"You're Rhys Martin," she replied breathlessly.

"And you're Elliot James," he countered looking at her with a calculating gaze.

"You're the great-nephew of Lionel Martin, co-founder of Aston Martin," she continued with wide eyes.

"And you're my new protégée," he beamed up at her," that is if you agree to my proposal."

ElJay perched on the edge of the seat across from him and he slid a folder towards her.

"Honestly, when I got the request to be a judge for this contest, I handed it over to a junior associate and asked him to just pick one," Rhys leaned back in his chair," One late night, I stumbled across your entry in the 'no pile' and it's been locked in my safe ever since."

ElJay figured it out a few minutes ago by that smile on Arai-sensei's face. Of course he was behind it all. ELJay would never dream of entering a contest.

"Since the establishment of our company, we've prided ourselves on our creative and mechanically disciplined cars. Our name has become revered for it. It's a symbol of success sought by many, but achieved by few." He glanced at her design," and yet, somehow a mere high school girl was able to create something extraordinary. I'm not just talking about the design," he reached out for a remote control and suddenly the picture changed to portray her Carbon Black in all its glory," This is incredible."

"I'm going to bluntly ask you to intern with us for the summer in England," he regarded her intensely," It won't be easy. People will doubt you because of your age. I'm not making any promises. It's uncertain whether you'll be asked to stay on. However, you might just become the next manufacturer for the upcoming models. If you agree, perhaps we can both teach each other something new."

It was impossible. The Yakuza would never let her go. Unless she just ran away…but then Han…they always seemed to use him against her. You were with them for life. ElJay shut her eyes as her fingers clasped onto the folder tightly.

"My Carbon Black was a gift from my father. At first I didn't think I had the skill to tamper with that engine and I wouldn't want to. My guardians told me he specifically left it for me. However, I opened the hood one day and I'd never seen such a beautiful engine in my life. They suddenly began manifesting….the ideas…the concepts on how I could make it better. What started out as an experiment turned into a complete custom car," she paused, unsure of what her point was. It was the first time she was telling this to someone so maybe there wasn't a need for one. Still, this was a man who owned a multi-million dollar conglomerate. He probably didn't have time to add sugar to his coffe and here she was blabbering like a moron. He couldn't understand. He didn't know her at all. How was she supposed to go on explaining the turmoil she faced everyday and how Aston Martin lessened the pain if only by a little every time. She wanted to give back to them. To work with them would be a dream.

"I want to say….just….thank you," her eyes began tearing.

He smiled warmly at her," my card is in that folder. We'd have to get some documents signed by your guardians and you'd have to finish the year off well, then we can—"

"I'm sorry," she whispered," but I can't accept it."

"You don't have to make the decision now," his eyes betrayed none of the alarm he was feeling.

"My answer won't change," she looked at him gravely.

"Tell you what; you have the rest of the year. Give me a call later on and we'll work out the technicalities." He stood up and made his way towards the door. ElJay stood up as well.

"I'm sorry."

Rhys paused, turning back to eye the folder on the table," I understand you better than you think, Elliot. I know all about your Carbon Black. Why? Because I knew your father very well." He loitered at the door for a second, before giving her a smile and walking out.

Alone, ElJay became hyperaware of the pounding in her chest. Her head spun violently. There were all sorts of lumps in her throats. Her hands reached out for the folder. Instead of opening it she slipped it into her bag. She had a feeling the secrets in there were better left to discover alone. She wanted to run away like always and nurse her wounds by herself. Her classmates were waiting on the other side and there was no back door. She didn't want to deal with anyone. Flinging the door open, she stalked out completely indifferent. _ Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me. _She just had to bear it until she got to her car.

"How was it?!"

"Jay, what happened?"

"Where are you going?"

It was too suffocating. Her breathing became labored. Her bottom lip began trembling. Out of fear of breaking down, ElJay clamped two firm palms against her ears to block out all the noise. _Just forget it happened. Forget the pain. Forget everything. _The mantra eased it if only by a little. Arai-sensei wore an expression of complete shock. That wasn't the reaction he was expecting. She looked incredibly frail, walking with her head down. Her expression was blank as usual, but the eyes looked haunted. He looked at Hiro who for a second looked like he was going to run after her. However, the male in question turned away to continue observing the pictures on the wall.

She barely reached the door before the panic set in and she began running.

It was done. She had been on a rampage, refusing to accept any help. She finished it all by herself. It took just a little under eleven hours. She stopped only to eat a bento box. The engine had fit perfectly much to her surprise. She expected the readjustment to be the biggest problem, but it was almost as if it was created for her car. Her brain was on overdrive. She smelled of sweat. Her hands were bloody and covered in oil. Pieces of greasy hair were stuck to her forehead. Still her heart refused to calm down. It was only when she turned the ignition that she felt instant relief at the soft purring that rang out. She took a moment to lean against the shiny metal. It was so pristine and refined. Then she was peeling out of that garage, doing a well-practiced 360 that had the tires leaving clean black lines. It was as if she never stopped driving. Tokyo was feeling claustrophobic. There was activity everywhere. The colossal buildings consumed the vicinity. The ever-bright lights coupled with the night casted a shadowy glow on the faces of people bustling on the streets.

It was a little before midnight by the time she reached her favourite spot in the mountains. You could see the vista of the skyline, but you didn't have to be part of it. There was darkness everywhere. To ElJay it was comforting. She leant against the car with the folder in her hand. There was no one here and no one would be coming. Life wasn't a two hour movie segment where the timing had to be perfect otherwise the story would go nowhere. The timing was never perfect and people were never perceptive enough. They're too busy dealing with their own problems to ever be on the same page as you. A polaroid was paper clipped to the first page. It was the first time in ten years she set her eyes on her parents' faces. That she remembered what they looked like. And that once again she realized how different she looked from them now. The little girl in the photo was peeking out from behind her mother's legs with her father's arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder. She had a cheeky smile on her face and her eyes were little crescents amidst the laughter. Somehow she wasn't surprised that Rhys Martin knew her family. They had lived in England before and her father was a brilliant polymath, so it wasn't surprising that their paths had crossed. ElJay didn't really believe in fate, but when too many coincidences came together, what else could you call it? Why did she decide to finish her project early? Why did Arai-sensei submit it? How could Rhys have seen it amidst the hundred other papers on his desk?

ElJay looked away from the picture and focused on the skyline. Strangely for her, she didn't feel upset. This was life. It wasn't easy or fair and it didn't give a damn about you. She wanted to be confident like Akira. She wanted to believe in herself like Arai sensei did. She wanted to be fun like Takuya and inquisitive like Satoshi. She wanted to be there for people just like Yoshio was (albeit not with the right attitude). The thought made her smile. Hiro…she envied his ability to switch to the face most appropriate for the situation. Most of all though she wanted to be happy like the little girl in the picture. Then there was Han. The man who craved trust and character. It was a one-way street though. You could rely on him, but he wouldn't reciprocate. He was always cool. In all senses of the word. There wasn't anything she wanted from him. It was because they were so similar there was nothing she could take. ElJay didn't realize it before, but now it made sense. They were always together because they didn't need to say anything extra to feel needed and curb the loneliness they didn't want to admit to. She almost laughed out loud. This is why a relationship between them could never work. It's human nature to feel pleased at another's misfortune. It's the reassurance that your life isn't so bad once you envision walking in someone's less fortunate shoes. That is what they found in each other. Although they never openly talked about their life stories, their attitudes, actions, expressions, speech guided them to the conclusion that they were both messed up. And the thought was comforting. _There's someone else like me who gets it without needing to say anything. _

She felt sorry for him. Looking at Han was like looking at herself. She wondered if people pitied her. She wondered if anyone has ever looked at her and thought "I want to be like that." Suddenly the need to change became so potent that her chest felt constricted. ElJay started pacing back and forth not knowing where to start. _I have to be the one to change, so he can see what it's like. _

Her phone rang.

"We need to make a delivery to Yokohama; it'll be the last run before Shanghai."

_Right. They are the problem._

The hour ride was spent in silence. ElJay almost wished police got wind of their ventures and came after them, but it was calm. They delivered the drugs and stayed for the customary drink offered by their host. She saw Kane in his element. He was an avid conversationalist, he could talk about anything, win any argument although he had to be humble about that one. She didn't think Japan with its lack of directness fitted his personality. Still, she knew how important the Yakuza were to him.

"Tanaka told us to just spend the night here," Kane turned to her when they exited the building at 3 in the morning.

ElJay leant against the hood of her Carbon and gestured for him to do the same," You know what's going to happen to us right? After Shanghai?" She crossed her arms and listened to the silence of the courtyard surrounded by warehouse buildings. She could faintly hear the water brushing against the pier.

He was silent and she snuck a look at his profile. He was staring ahead in a contemplative stillness. He knew.

"Unless you lose."

She gave him an incredulous look that screamed 'yea right'.

"That's why I came back."

"You didn't want to?" he implored. Of course she did, but not for him.

"I had to."

"Because of me."

"How did you find out anyway?" She asked accusingly.

"I heard Tanaka talking about it while he was officially signing the documents that would add me to the family tree," he stared at her, before saying," add us to the tree." He lit a cigarette and offered it to her.

"What do you think would happen if both of us went rogue?" She laughed at the thought, blowing the smoke into the crisp night air.

"We'd get our entire left arm cut off and offered as a sacrifice to some deity that would bring us bad luck for the rest of our lives," his eyes twinkled mirthfully.

"That's probably not far off from actuality," They grinned at each other. Kane wasn't always bad. He just felt the need to prove the right thing to the wrong person.

"When was the last time you talked to your mother?" She suddenly wanted to know.

"It's been years." There was no malice in his voice, no name-calling like usual. Here, when it was just the two of them shadowed beneath the cloak of night it was a statement underlined with pain. She was alive, but her son could never acknowledge her without endangering her life.

"You want to run away."

She nodded in affirmation," more than anything."

His hand clamped on her shoulder in a vice-like grip," don't screw this up for me, Jay."

She placed a hand on his," come with me." This was the first time he'd seen her act this way. His grip loosened and her eyes alighted with excitement.

"We could go to England together; we could live in a dingy flat and try to make something of ourselves. Paris is only an hour away and the rest of Europe is at our doorstep."

She looked so naïve at that moment he felt the need to tell her so.

ElJay frowned," I just want to try and be something more."

Kane hated to be the one to take the sparkle away from her eyes," Oh hey Grandpa Tanaka, I'm running away with your half-breed grandson, don't wait up…?" He scoffed," is that how you want to go about it?"

She was about to open her mouth when he spoke," you think the Yaks aren't keeping tabs on my mother?"

Her eyes widened in realized and her mouth formed a small 'oh'.

"It's easy for you to just decide things by yourself because you have no one that'll take consequence for your actions. Han can take care of himself so I don't know why you got it into your head that he needs your protection," Kane watched as a mask formed on her features," my mother did the same thing you're thinking of doing. She rushed impulsively ahead and it led her to fear for her life every time she goes outside. As a son, it's my duty to protect her. I don't want the same thing happening to you."

Although his words were harsh, he was right. She didn't know how to get close to people and therefore she had no weakness.

"You've become rather opinionated lately," he commented," and while I'll tolerate it for now and peg it as the whim of a teenage girl thinking she can rule the world, later on you have to stop and just let others bask in greatness because your freedom has been stamped and sealed by a very powerful group." He began walking away from her," better luck in the next life."

They always walked away. People just assumed she would be ok. So she forced herself to be. ElJay scrolled through her phone contacts. She had over two hundred. Half were Yakuza, a third were people from various garages, some were from people she met from the different countries, Han…she couldn't call any one of them. Or maybe….

She hit end call before it could ring. Han was meeting the girl…woman he liked. Maybe she was wrong about him and he was changing. He just stopped showing her.

ElJay got back to the garage around 4:30 am and after showering, spent a few hours looking through the Aston Martin folder. Their manufacture plant resided in Gaydon, Warwickshire. A rural, sparsely populated village to the West of England with a population of 376. ElJay liked the rolling fields and hills that went on for ages. There was a short list of concept models set to be designed the next summer. The manor she would be staying at was an elegant country house with 10 acres of gardens. There were profiles of all the people she would be job shadowing. By the time she finished reading it all, ElJay's heart felt like it was about to burst. She had to go.

Her flight to Shanghai left tomorrow morning and the few extra hours of sleep were much needed. She sunk further into her pillow suddenly feeling exhausted, but happy. ElJay wondered when the next downfall would strike. For that was the vicious circle. Almost as if on cue she heard a commotion downstairs. Somehow she knew who it was before the cool chuckle resonated and she knew who was with him before the Spanish lilted voice spoke. Although a small stab of jealousy hit her, ElJay was ok with the thought of her unrequited crush having endless potential. For whatever reason he wasn't ready to take the chance with her, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to. She was good at waiting. Without even knowing what the Spanish woman looked like, ElJay had a feeling it wasn't going to last. Maybe it was the opportunity in England talking, but she felt fine. She had always seen him surrounded by women; this wouldn't be all that different. Plus, she was certain nobody really understood Han like she did.

She sat up slowly wincing as black spots filtered her vision anyway. Suddenly, as if realizing it just now, a frown made its way onto her face. Hesitantly, she stood up and made her way to the doorway, the laughter getting closer and more audible. _He shouldn't sound so happy, not without me. _It was a selfish thought. She peeked around the doorframe and saw Han taking out two bottles of Ramune from the fridge. It was their drink. She always had trouble pushing the tiny sphere through the bottle and he would always regard her with hilarity and point out her shit upper body strength before opening the bottle for her. That was their ritual. She lurched downstairs excitedly.

"You know when I gave you my number I was hoping you'd call." ElJay stopped as she saw a thin woman giving Han a pointed look.

"Well, in the end we did get to Tokyo," he handed her the bottle. She was beautiful of course.

"Does everything in Tokyo have to be so complicated?" With the way she gazed at Han, Eljay could tell that question was far more loaded than the Ramune bottle she gestured to.

"Just give it a push and it won't be," Han demonstrated expertly. She copied his movements, but pressed too hard and the fizz spilled over her wrists. His smirk turned into a laugh as her glare intensified. She looked disgusted at the sweet soda and held her hands out to him expectantly.

Han set his drink down and ran a towel under the sink.

"That is a ridiculous way to open a drink," she wrinkled her nose as she took a sip," not to mention one that tastes like it's been rinsed through an old work boot before being bottled."

ElJay didn't like her tone. She most certainly didn't like the way she flicked the soda at his face and she was absolutely steaming when he in turn sprayed her with a fistful of water from the tap. Her fist was completely white as she clenched the railing. The woman was wiping down her hands on his shirt which ElJay thought was positively childish. She would never have done that.

"Gisele," his tone was sharp as he yanked her wrists under the sink. She glowered at him, but didn't remove her hands. He gave her a small smile before cupping water into his hands and pouring it over her hair.

"You need to cool down," he justified.

"And you need to stop adding fuel to the fire," she roughly pushed him away and snatched a dry towel.

He laughed again and ElJay wondered why. Was her pretentious, childish personality so amusing to him?

"Where's your bathroom?" she asked gruffly.

ElJay had to shut her eyes to keep from seeing that arrogant face. She let out a short breath. If Han was laughing then she was happy for him even if his happiness didn't include her.

"Upstairs, to the left," she heard her own voice speak in a clipped tone. Both sets of eyes turned to her.

"You're up early," Han commented, his disposition reverting to the usual blankness.

"Yea well, who could sleep with all that ruckus?" ElJay's gaze landed on Gisele purposefully.

"Excuse this pitiful first impression," the woman in question gestured down to her dripping state walking towards the stairs.

"It counts," ElJay proclaimed leaning against the railing.

Gisele sized her up as she ascended the stairs," sorry?"

"I'm Jay," ElJay kept her hands crossed over her chest.

"Gisele," she replied with equal coolness. She continued up the stairs raising her brows at ElJay and giving her a tight-lipped smile as she passed. When she disappeared behind the doorway, ElJay hopped down the remaining stairs and raised her own brows at Han who was unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile.

"Wow," she commented drily, opening the fridge and taking out a Ramune," well she does have nice legs because you certainly aren't with her for the scintillating conversation skills."

Han took the bottle from her hands before she could begin the struggle," oh yeah?" he popped it open and handed it back, ruffling her hair," since when did you start using big kid words like scintillating?"

ElJay's heart squeezed when no comment about upper body strength was made, but she decided to pay it no mind and hopped up on the counter, regarding him skeptically. There were many things she could've said about that tart running the shower upstairs. Commented on how skinny she was, her rash personality, even the icky brown colour of her hair, but ElJay kept quiet. Although she didn't want to admit it, Gisele had a dominant fire in her eyes. Just from the first impression, one could gather that she was blunt, she knew what she wanted, she had this exuberance that made Han laugh, and she expressed her emotions freely on her face. ElJay couldn't help herself, she envied her.

"Anyway," she grinned at him, wanting to drop the subject.

"I'll take you to school," Han picked up the keys to his RX-7," finish all your homework?"

She gave him an incredulous look," yea, sure." She hopped down from the counter," listen, I really don't think you should leave 'that one' here alone," ElJay gestured upstairs," she might throw out all your Ramune."

"You just can't stand the thought of someone else being in the driver's seat."

ElJay had to remind herself not to respond childishly. She clenched her jaw and held her hands up in resignation," fine, but you better be picking me up as well since my four wheels are staying here."

"Public transport would be faster anyway," Han smirked knowingly at her.

"Public transport doesn't have perforated seat inserts," she quipped.

"Just go get your bag," he leant against the bright orange door of the Mazda.

ElJay took the stairs two at time, stopping at the railing to look at him with his arms crossed watching her intently. She smiled widely and rushed into her room stuffing her books into her domo as well as the Aston Martin folder. She slipped on an oversized black angora sweater and placed Hiro's scarf around her neck. She debated on whether she should take her car keys.

"Tick. Tock," a voice startled her from downstairs. She took her phone off the charger and frowned at the time. It was still early. Pausing to glare slightly at the bathroom door at the sound of running water, she walked back down the stairs.

"What's the rush?" she asked, as he opened the passenger door for her. As soon as the door shut, ElJay realized this was a bad idea as a dry woodsy scent blended sharply with grapefruit invaded her senses. It was amplified tenfold when he closed the door behind him and smoothly turned on the engine. His hand rested on the back of her seat and she watched the veins bulge as he backed out of the garage. If only he had reverted back to middle parting his hair… it would've been bearable.

Suddenly he snatched her phone from her hands," I gotta take a picture of this."

"Of me in the passenger seat?" she laughed as he aimed the phone at her.

The car stopped and his expression faltered. "Yea," he gave a terse chuckle," it's such a rare occurrence."

He gave the phone back to her and floored the accelerator. She wanted to check the picture and turned on the screen.

_Oh._

She glanced at his profile which betrayed nothing.

"Hiro Kobayshi," she ventured after a few moments of silence.

"I know who he is."

She cursed herself for not changing her lock screen picture. It was the one with Hiro biting her rabbit eared sweater. The purikura picture had been small so when she zoomed in, it became slightly unfocused. Still, even now it made her smile.

"Is that who you've been dating?" he looked at her despite the 120 km/hr.

The smile disappeared in time. "Not even close," she shook her head," we're friends."

"Really," Han deadpanned," so who fell for who? Or is it a mutual thing?"

"Maybe you didn't really get the point of frie—."

"I got it," he interrupted her," a guy like that isn't looking for friendship."

She scoffed," I think I'll decide that for myself, thanks."

"You're just a little slow when it comes to this, Jay," he looked at her expectantly.

She opened her mouth to reply and then grimaced. "You and I are friends."

She waited for it.

"And look where that got us?" he retorted," you like me."

There it was. Her heart started pounding and her cheeks flamed at the bluntness of the statement.

"I don't like you very much right now," she turned away, her vision blurring and clenched her shaky hands around her phone. It was embarrassing to put it out in the open like that. He had said it as if it were a bother. It wasn't as if she could control it. Besides…

_You like me too._

She didn't dare say it. He would only put a thicker barrier between them. Plus, she just wasn't that sure anymore.

"So what's he doing on your phone screen?" If he regretted his tone, Han didn't show it.

"And what's she doing in our house?" she countered, successfully keeping out the bitterness," you want me to move out? So she can take my room?"

"She'll stay in the spare room."

"Permanently? Well isn't that just a step up. You want me to clear up some closet space or you got that covered to?"

Han sighed deeply through his nose. " Why do we always fight whenever we start talking?"

ElJay looked over at him," I guess neither one of us is really listening."

He locked eyes with her and gave a playful glare," how can you expect me to listen when you don't really talk to me anymore."

Was that really true? She furrowed her brow and then nodded slowly.

They pulled up at a coffee shop next to the school. Han gave an amused scoff and got out of the car. Wordlessly, she followed him inside. There was a grimace on her face that stayed even when he ordered two green tea lattes. Even when he stared at her with a half-smile. She turned her guilty gaze on him at the same time he took a finger and smoothed out the frown. He handed her the latte and walked out. ElJay almost wanted to let him go. She spent so much time raving about him that she forgot about her own misdeed. She really hadn't properly spoken to him. It was awkward though. He knew how she felt about him and now she was forced to walk on pins and needles in order not to be a bother. She dragged her feet out the door.

Han shook his head in mock solemnity and placed an arm around her shoulder leading her over to the school gates and to a nearby bench.

"Now," he stated, taking her cup and placing both on the wooden bench," we're both not overly affectionate people, but let's just settle something."

She looked at him curiously," what exactly?"

His eyes shined with mirth," the day you came back." He started walking back towards the gate.

She remembered.

"Han? What are you doing?" she asked even though she knew what he wanted. He peeked around the gate," let's do the _real _homecoming."

She had played it cool that day. He had recognized her driving technique straight away and all she had wanted to do was run into his arms and apologize. For leaving. For not contacting him. For coming back even. It was he who unrestrainedly kissed her forehead. She didn't show any affection. He knew how regretful she felt. Now he was giving her a do-over. It was still early enough that not many students loitered outside. So ElJay had no qualms she could use as an excuse. She wrung her hands nervously, looking at the two green tea lattes that were involuntary tilting towards each other because of the crooked bench.

"Jay?" if she didn't know any better, it really sounded like he was seeing her for the first time in two years.

Her head snapped in his direction her surprise mimicking his own. She liked that he understood her. This was the side of him that he only showed to her. Then that feeling spread through her. That belated happiness that she rarely felt.

Han was momentarily stumped as her face broke out into the most breathtaking smile he had ever seen. It held the right touch of shyness that an unexpected warmth rushed through him. Then she was running towards him and a memory flashed before his eyes. At eleven years old, she was tiny. A tiny, bubbly spirit who smiled at everyone she met. It had taken a while for him to coax out that little girl, but he was rather proud of himself when he did. The hospital told him that because she had no recollection past six years of age that it would take awhile for her mental capabilities to revert back to her current age. He had been worried at first, but she was just so happy all the time, that he decided it didn't matter in the end.

She had seen a woman leaving his bedroom and with a little frown rushed over to him.

"Hanny!" she spread her arms excitedly and he had picked her up and she latched them around his neck looking at him with a very concentrated gaze.

"El, what's up?" he tried smoothing the wrinkles on her forehead, but she brushed his hand away.

"Do you love her?" she bluntly asked.

He had chuckled at her at the time," No, I don't fall in love. I swear." He brushed away a piece of hair from her face.

She pouted at first, but then to his surprise smiled and said ok. Looking back, Han realized she smiled because she knew he was wrong. Maybe she smiled because she knew it wouldn't take long…

In real time, she slammed into him full speed," I'm sorry," she was repeating. Even on her tiptoes, she only reached a little below his shoulder. He wanted to put both arms around her, but his hand stayed in his pocket. Instead, he was crushing her to him with one arm behind her neck. He hoped that conveyed the feeling of relief. There was no twirl. No looking into the other's eyes. It was her pressed against his chest and him looking at a spot beyond her hair. Her whispering 'I'm sorry' and him telling her it was ok. This was their style. Or rather, the style of two people who can't quite own up to their feelings. At this moment it was written all over their faces, but to respect the other's privacy they didn't look at each other even after she stepped away from him. Hesitantly, her eyes flickered upwards after awhile and to her relief he was smiling at her.

"That's how we should've done it the first time around, El."

Her heart jolted with nostalgia. That had been her nickname up until 13 years old. Then as she became more immersed in cars he started calling her Jay. Hearing it now sounded foreign. Almost strange. However, she didn't hate it. It was from a point in her life when Han smiled at her all the time.

Hiro walked through the gates with Satoshi. He had made it a habit to take the subway to school and had met the class president along the way. They were in deep discussion about the upcoming school festival. Satoshi stopped and a look of relief crossed his features," she's ok."

Instantly, Hiro searched for her face. He found her animatedly waving her hands in the air as she explained something to…Han. Hiro could feel his expression sour just looking at the older man with his long legs stretched out, one hand in his pocket, sipping a drink, and listening with raised eyebrows at her explanation. Then both of them simultaneously laughed. Or rather, Han chuckled. Hiro was certain he wasn't capable of full on laughter.

"Yea," he shared a hesitant look with Satoshi," let's not ask her about it." They resumed their walk to the school doors. They entered and Hiro hated himself for looking back.

ElJay sat back on the bench with her hands under her thighs and a wide smile on her face.

"I always wondered why you wanted to do oil changes in that pink dress I bought you," Han continued saying.

She giggled," I could never tell you I hated the colour."

"You were a pretty strange kid," he commented.

"Because I didn't like pink?" ElJay asked, somewhat confused.

"Because you stuck around," he clarified.

Her cheeks coloured as she looked away," so what about Gisele? It seems like she's sticking around."

He shifted and ElJay flinched as he stood up.

"Gisele and I are friends," he stared down at her, his attention faltering as the school bell rang.

ElJay nodded," so are we," she stood up as well and made a move to leave," but you never traveled across the country for me," she remarked with a sad smile.

Han stared at her for the longest time as if debating whether or not to say something. In the end, he too gave a melancholy smile," and you've never had my picture on your phone screen."

He raised his eyebrows, challenging her to say something. She didn't. Both of them always left things unsaid. That was why it would never work between them. At least not with the way she was now. She squared her shoulders and walked away.

_I'd go after you, but it would be harder to let go later on._


End file.
